AB UK - July / August 2013

AB UK - July / August 2013

The UK edition of Accounting and Business magazine (Published by ACCA)

AB
ACCOUNTING AND BUSINESS UK 07/2013
BRITISH AIRWAYS
CEO INTERVIEW: ONWARDS AND UPWARDS
STEPPING UP
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Editor’s choice
3
People can get carried away by the whiff of kerosene, says British Airways chief executive Keith Williams, whose CFO background has helped him keep his feet planted firmly on the ground in an industry where carriers have been dropping like flies. See page 14
GRAPE EXPECTATIONS
If, like me, you are planning on taking your summer holidays in France, it’s quite possible that you will happen upon a vineyard at some point during your stay. While the tranquil surroundings may seem blissful, they could well belie the seismic forces of globalisation at work around you. ACCA member Stewart Price, wine writer and corporate finance adviser, this month reports on how Chinese buyers are snapping up wine producers in Bordeaux and other regions as the size of the wine market in China snowballs (page 32). Some predict that the country will become the world’s largest wine producer in five years. In contrast, the number of French wine drinkers continues to plummet, meaning hard times for producers. These changes underline the importance of exporting as a business strategy, even for small businesses. In this month’s issue we take a look at the future of British exporting and the benefits its growth could bring to the UK economy. Our feature (page 50) includes a whistlestop tour of the top 20 target markets for UK exporters around the world. There are success stories, such as Clarks’ shoes, which are doing very well in China. But experts believe that the UK is missing a trick in many business sectors and that we could do more, especially in areas such as engineering, aerospace, automotive and technology. Investing for growth is of course a huge challenge in a difficult economy. But this is a strategy being followed by Ian Powell, senior partner of Britain’s biggest accountancy firm PwC. In our interview with him on page 42 he and his colleagues predict that things will start to improve from 2017–18, when ‘the new normal’ of slow, stuttering growth will turn into something stronger and more sustained. This might not be as soon as desired, but, in these difficult times, any prediction that growth is on the horizon is encouraging for British manufacturers and French winemakers alike.
Chris Quick, chris.quick@accaglobal.com
TIME TO RELAX? The long pursuit by central banks of a 2% inflation rate is beginning to flag, amid suggestions that greater price inflation could revive economies. Page 24
HAVEN HOKUM Offshore tax havens have come in for a barrage of criticism, but the US, one of their fiercest critics, is arguably the biggest tax haven of them all. Page 28
READ AB ON YOUR IPAD!
You can now download searchable editions of Accounting and Business, with links to websites, reports and videos, to your iPad. See page 82 and www.accaglobal.com/ab for more
BIG AMBITIONS?
For your next move, check out www.accacareers. com/uk
AB UK EDITION CONTENTS JULY/AUGUST 2013
VOLUME 16 ISSUE 7
Editor-in-chief Chris Quick chris.quick@accaglobal.com +44 (0)20 7059 5966 Asia editor Colette Steckel colette.steckel@accaglobal.com +44 (0)20 7059 5896 International editor Lesley Bolton lesley.bolton@accaglobal.com +44 (0)20 7059 5965 Sub-editors Loveday Cuming, Dean Gurden, Peter Kernan, Vivienne Riddoch Design manager Jackie Dollar jackie.dollar@accaglobal.com +44 (0)20 7059 5620 Designer Robert Mills Production manager Anthony Kay anthony.kay@accaglobal.com Advertising Richard McEvoy rmcevoy@educate-direct.com +44 (0)20 7902 1221 Head of publishing Adam Williams adam.williams@accaglobal.com +44 (0)20 7059 5601 Printing Wyndeham Group Pictures Corbis ACCA President Barry Cooper FCCA Deputy president Martin Turner FCCA Vice president Anthony Harbinson FCCA Chief executive Helen Brand OBE ACCA Connect Tel +44 (0)141 582 2000 Fax +44 (0)141 582 2222 members@accaglobal.com students@accaglobal.com info@accaglobal.com
Accounting and Business is published by ACCA 10 times per year. All views expressed within the title are those of the contributors.
The Council of ACCA and the publishers do not guarantee the accuracy of statements by contributors or advertisers, or accept responsibility for any statement that they may express in this publication. The publication of an advertisement does not imply endorsement by ACCA of a product or service. Copyright ACCA 2013
Features
14 Interview: Keith Williams BA’s former CFO is now the main man in the company cockpit 18 Sustainability reporting New guidelines launched at GRI Amsterdam conference 22 Carney’s challenge The Bank of England chief faces the toughest of tasks 24 Inflation Will relaxing the 2% target kickstart growth or release the hyperinflation genie from the bottle? 26 Ageing The demographic shift has huge implications for the UK economy and much else 28 Tax havens Step forward, the world’s biggest: the US 30 Company cars Getting the best from your fleet 32 Sour grapes Not everyone is toasting the rise in Chinese acquisition of French vineyards 34 Banking How technological advances can help SMEs
Accounting and Business. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored or distributed without the express written permission of ACCA. Accounting and Business is published by Certified Accountant (Publications) Ltd, a subsidiary of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants.
ISSN No: 1460-406X 29 Lincoln’s Inn Fields London, WC2A 3EE, UK +44 (0) 20 7059 5000 www.accaglobal.com
Audit period July 2011 to June 2012 148,106
Worldwide Regulars
BRIEFING
06 News in pictures A different view of recent headlines 08 News in graphics We show a story as well as tell it using innovative graphs 10 News round-up A digest of all the latest news and developments 12 Politics The EU’s supply chain muscle
There are six different versions of Accounting and Business: China, Ireland, International, Malaysia, Singapore and UK. See them all at www.accaglobal.com/ab
TECHNICAL
58 Update The latest on financial reporting, auditing, tax and law 63 Evaluating performance Seven different ways to assess your organisation’s performance 66 CPD: lease accounting Many companies may be required to report more assets and liabilities
Your sector
41 PRACTICE
41 The view from Claire Thompson of Broomfield and Alexander; plus news in brief 42 PwC interview: Ian Powell The firm’s chairman has reasons to be cheerful 46 Awards Application deadline looms for British Accountancy Awards 2013
VIEWPOINT
36 Robert Bruce Why tackling regulation is like catching a frisbee 38 Peter Williams Are the best leaders born or made? 39 Jane Fuller Some of the guidance on integrated reporting will make enterpreneurs’ hearts sink 40 Barry Cooper Audit is not just the auditor’s responsiblity, says the ACCA president
48 CORPORATE
48 The view from Kevin Fleming of Capita Employee Benefits; plus news in brief 50 UK exports We need to sell more abroad, and emerging and growth markets offer the best targets
55 PUBLIC CAREERS
55 The view from Paddy Gray of the University of Ulster; plus news in brief 56 Pensions As the Public Pensions Act comes into force, what impact will it have on funds and employees?
CPD
70 Postgraduate pages Too old for an MBA course? Think again…
Accounting and Business is a rich source of CPD. If you read it to keep yourself up to date, it will contribute to your non-verifiable CPD. If you read an article, learn something new and apply that learning in some way, it will contribute to your verifiable CPD. Each month, we also publish an article or two with related questions to answer. If they are relevant to your development needs, they can also contribute to your verifiable CPD. One hour of learning equates to one unit of CPD. For more, go to www.accaglobal.com/members/cpd
ACCA NEWS
75 CPD With the My Development hub, e-learning is flexible, convenient and cost-effective 78 Diary Events around the country 79 Regulation Why the proposed bye-law amendments are thought to be necessary 80 Benevolent Fund Trustees of the association’s charitable fund are calling for incorporation 82 News You can now download any edition of Accounting and Business to your iPad
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News in pictures
01
Turkish stocks tumbled after Istanbul was rocked by anti-government protests over creeping authoritarianism
02
Ex-Porsche CFO Holger Härter was fined €630,000 for credit fraud in a case related to the carmaker’s failed bid for Volkswagen
03
Primark began selling a selection of its clothes online through internet fashion retailer Asos
04
The construction sector returned to growth after six months of contraction
7
05
British gas owner Centrica paid £40m for a licence to explore shale gas deposits in northern England, boosting the UK’s fracking prospects, despite efforts by campaigners to stop the controversial process
06
The Barclays Premier League reported a record £2.4bn in revenues in 2011–12, the highest of any league in Europe, according to Deloitte research. Crystal Palace will play in the league next season after beating Watford in the Championship playoff final
07
Heathrow started the countdown to the opening of Terminal 2 in June next year. It will be home to Star Alliance, Aer Lingus and Virgin Atlantic’s domestic flights
08
Three former top executives from carmaker Saab Automobile were arrested in Sweden on suspicion of alleged accounting fraud
8
News in graphics
MORE PHONE/ EMAIL CONTACT
28%
GET TO KNOW MY BUSINESS BETTER
26%
MORE FACE-TOFACE CONTACT
21%
KEEP TO DEADLINE
19%
IMPROVED USE OF TECHNOLOGY
12%
IT’S GOOD TO MEET/PHONE/EMAIL…
When IT provider Sage asked small business owners how they thought their accountant could improve their working relationship with clients, greater communication accounted for two of the top three suggestions.
FEE REDUCTION SCREW STILL TURNING 16% 26% 58%
Accountants in the top 100 practices were asked by software supplier CaseWare whether clients were putting them under strong pressure to reduce accountancy and audit fees. All but 16% said yes, although 26% thought the pressure was less than last year.
KEY
Yes Yes, but not as much as last year No
ACCOUNTANCY IT & TECHNOLOGY UTILITIES, MINING, OIL & GAS LAW WHOLESALERS FINANCIAL SERVICES ENGINEERING HEALTH (EG NURSES) MEDIA INSURANCE MANUFACTURING AVIATION CARE (EG SOCIAL WORKERS) CONSTRUCTION RAIL EDUCATION PROPERTY LEISURE RETAIL AUTOMOTIVE
22
54 50 47 47 46 45 45 42 40 39 37 37 36 32 32
66 65 61
76
ACCOUNTANTS PUT IN THE LONGEST COMMUTER STINTS
At an average of 76 minutes per day, the accountant’s commute is longer than that in any other sector, and more than double the national average, according to recruitment company Randstad. In the last survey before the financial crisis, in 2008, the accountant’s average commute was a considerably shorter 69 minutes a day.
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MORE GUIDANCE ON TAX, PLEASE THE CALL FOR MORE GUIDANCE
The vast majority of businesses would welcome more global cooperation and guidance from tax authorities on what is acceptable and unacceptable tax planning, even if it resulted in less opportunity to reduce tax liabilities across borders, according to the latest Grant Thornton International Business Report.
85% 75%
LATIN AMERICA EUROZONE
WILL INCREASE TAX TRANSPARENCY 86%
ASIA PACIFIC
63%
LATIN AMERICA
41%
GLOBAL
35%
EUR0ZONE
24%
NORTH AMERICA
68% 67% 54%
GLOBAL ASIA PACIFIC NORTH AMERICA
THE INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS REPORT
The report (at http://bit.ly/1a5K5m0) is a quarterly survey of 3,000 businesses in 44 countries. Data is collected by Experian.
DO YOU WANT MORE GLOBAL COOPERATION/GUIDANCE FROM TAX AUTHORITIES?
MALAYSIA GERMANY SINGAPORE MAINLAND IRELAND CHINA
UK
SOUTH AFRICA
AUSTRALIA
US
HONG KONG
ARE YOU PLANNING TO BE MORE TAX-TRANSPARENT?
Definitely
Probably
KEY
No
MALAYSIA
SINGAPORE
GERMANY
S AFRICA
MAINLAND CHINA
HONG KONG
US
AUSTRALIA
UK
IRELAND
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News round-up
INVESTORS LOSE CONFIDENCE
Investors’ confidence in the accuracy and truth of corporate reports has fallen since the onset of the global financial crisis, according to ACCA research. In the report Understanding Investors: directions for corporate reporting, more than two-thirds of 300 investors surveyed say they have become more sceptical about company reports. Almost as many suggest that managers have too much discretion over the financial information they report. A sizeable majority of investors say they place more importance on information generated outside the company than on annual reports, while 45% regard the annual report as being of no use. There was overwhelming – 93% – support for integrated reporting. Read the report at www.accaglobal.com/reporting
Public Accounts Committee. The appointment was strongly defended by Deloitte. A spokesman for the firm said: ‘Dave Hartnett will work as a consultant to Deloitte advising foreign governments and tax administrations, primarily in the developing world. He has significant experience in advising such countries on the development of effective tax regimes necessary to ensure their continued economic growth. He will not work with UK companies or with HMRC.’
BDO TAKES TOP SPOT FOR AIM
The enlarged BDO firm has replaced Grant Thornton as the auditor with the most AIM clients, according to the latest Adviser Rankings analysis. Following the merger with PKF , BDO has 159 AIM clients, compared with Grant Thornton’s 149 and KPMG’s 129. PwC remains the firm with the most FTSE 100 clients, while Deloitte and KPMG are equal second. KPMG replaces PwC as the firm with the most UK-listed company audits.
UK UNCUT LOSES CHALLENGE
HARTNETT JOINS DELOITTE
HMRC’s former permanent secretary for tax, Dave Hartnett, lost ‘all sense of what is right’ when he agreed to work as a consultant for Deloitte, according to Margaret Hodge, the chair of the House of Commons
UK Uncut has lost its legal action against HMRC’s so-called ‘sweetheart deal’ with Goldman Sachs, which reduced the bank’s tax liability by £20m. The High Court ruled that HMRC has the power to reach compromises with taxpayers over settlements. It also decided that HMRC was permitted to take into consideration the bank’s threat to withdraw from the Code of Practice on Taxation for Banks but not the embarrassment that would be caused to the chancellor of the exchequer if it left.
PARTNERS FACE HIGHER BILLS
Partners in limited liability partnerships could be hit with higher tax and national insurance bills under proposals from the Treasury to tackle ‘disguised employment’. The government is consulting on the proposals, which are designed to prevent the LLP structure being used to reduce tax liabilities. LLP partners would become liable for income tax and employee national insurance contributions if they meet tests for employment on a contract of service. The consultation document states that unless reforms are introduced the continuation of the LLP structure is under threat.
RTI HITS PROBLEMS
A protest outside a Starbucks branch in Dublin highlights corporate tax avoidance
TAX REPORTING CHANGES AHEAD
Large companies will have to disclose profits, taxes and subsidies in each country in which they operate under proposals announced by European internal markets commissioner Michel Barnier. The move was opposed by the CBI, which said the cost would damage growth. Barnier also announced that enhanced disclosure proposals (see June, page 22) covering environmental, social, employee and human rights impacts have gone to the European Parliament and the Council of Ministers for approval. ACCA chief executive Helen Brand said: ‘ACCA fully endorses the suggestion that companies should rely on internationally accepted frameworks to report this information. There should be a convergence of international, EU and national principles.’
Taxpayers face financial distress because of problems with the roll-out of RTI that have caused 40,000 people to have the wrong tax deducted, according to London accountancy firm Blick Rothenberg. The firm’s Nimesh Shah said: ‘The problem is that the system could generate incorrect codes, which means the wrong amount of tax may be deducted from monthly salaries.’ HMRC also disclosed that its review of PAYE for last year is expected to reveal 3.5 million people who overpaid tax, with two million paying too little.
FRC ISSUES AUDIT GUIDANCE
The Financial Reporting Council (FRC) has issued a revised auditing standard to increase the transparency of audit reports and improve communication with investors. The revised ISA 700 requires auditors to explain more about their work where the client company is
Analysis
SALVATION THROUGH INFLATION?
The near-universal desire to crush inflation at any cost may actually be economically harmful, say some policymakers. But with spiralling prices at the other end of the scale, is there a middle ground?
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P24
subject to the UK Corporate Governance Code. The agreed revisions implement changes that were widely supported in a consultation. Nick Land, chairman of the FRC’s Audit and Assurance Council, said: ‘The provision of a fuller description of the work the auditor has undertaken will give far more insight to investors than the binary pass/fail model of the current audit report.’
EY WINS LANDMARK AUDIT
G4 IS GO
The latest generation of Sustainable Reporting Guidelines – G4 – has been launched at Global Reporting Initiative’s 2013 conference. Large corporations are being urged to adopt the guidelines, which have already been backed by some of the world’s biggest businesses, including General Electric and Enel. G4 adopts an increased focus on transparency and is more accessible for corporations that have not previously used sustainability guidelines. GRI chief executive Ernst Ligteringen said G4 had been produced in consultation with hundreds of experts drawing on international best practice. See page 18.
Land Securities’ ‘Walkie Talkie’ building in the City of London
Ernst & Young has won Land Securities’ audit contract after a competitive tender process. Land Securities is the first FTSE 100 company to replace its auditor since the Competition Commission report in February concluded that large companies should change auditors more frequently. PwC had been auditor since the company was established 69 years ago and resigned with effect from 10 June. Hywel Ball, EY’s UK head of assurance, said: ‘We have always been extremely proud to be associated with the leading owners of real estate across the world and our UK real estate practice, comprising 325 real estate specialists, is delighted and honoured to be selected as the auditor of such a prestigious organisation as Land Securities.’ PwC’s UK head of assurance, James Chalmers, said: ‘We operate in a fiercely competitive market in which all participants win and lose audits.’
GOING CONCERN CLARIFIED
The Financial Reporting Council (FRC) has amended its guidance to auditors and companies on going concern judgments, following responses to its consultation. Separate, simpler guidance will now be issued for small and medium-sized enterprises. Some respondents suggested confusion was caused by using the term ‘going concern’ to evaluate both the specific assessments in financial statements and also the broader assessments of risks affecting a company’s viability. The FRC will consult on whether the UK Corporate Governance Code needs to create a clearer distinction.
England. A spokesman for HMRC added that no jobs would be lost during the pilot exercise. ‘This is not about cutting jobs, it’s about creating a better service for customers which is both flexible and affordable,’ he was quoted as saying on accountingweb.co.uk.
BIG FOUR SHOW IMPROVEMENT
HMRC TO CLOSE CENTRES
Tax workers have begun industrial action to protest against the closure of HMRC enquiry centres. According to the civil service union PCS all 281 walk-in enquiry centres are to close, although HMRC said that it had launched only a mobile pilot programme in north-east
Spot inspections from the Financial Reporting Council (FRC) on audits conducted by the Big Four firms showed improvements in the last year. Deloitte was told to strengthen revenue audits; ensure audit teams use the firm’s sampling methodology; identify threats to independence from non-audit work; increase the emphasis on rewarding high-quality work; and respond quicker to FRC findings. Ernst & Young was told to provide additional resources to audit teams where needed; ensure audit teams have adequate guidance and training; ensure partner appraisals are consistent; and speed up internal quality reviews. KPMG was told to review ethical policies; strengthen
testing of IT controls; reinforce its approach to impairment provisions for finance businesses; review its sampling methodology; and strengthen quality control reviews. PwC was told to ensure substantive procedures; improve quality control reviews; improve compliance with personal independence requirements; and improve consistency of audit quality across the firm.
INSOLVENCY GATEWAY LAUNCHED
A new gateway for making complaints against insolvency practitioners has been launched by the Insolvency Service as part of the government’s Red Tape Challenge. The gateway should provide an easier and more transparent process for the complaints; changes are also being introduced to simplify insolvency procedures. Peter Large, ACCA executive director – governance, said: ‘The smooth resolution of complaints is central to maintaining trust and confidence, and to delivering public value.’ Compiled by Paul Gosling, journalist
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Politics
APPLE IN EYE OF TAX STORM
PETROS FASSOULAS EU’S SINGLE-MARKET MUSCLE
All the talk about the European economy and the future of the eurozone overlooks how competitive Europe’s companies remain. Nearly 34% of world trade originates in Europe and is worth around US$5.5 trillion annually. Delta Economics data shows that in terms of total value Europe accounts for nearly 50% of car exports globally, just over 47% of car part exports, and nearly 70% of aircraft and satellites. Part of the success is down to the EU’s single market creating an effective and low-cost supply chain, giving European businesses a significant competitive advantage. Take Germany’s car industry. Its car part imports come from the Czech Republic, France, Italy, Poland and Austria. Delta’s research shows Germany’s growth has had positive effects for its European supply chain and countries like Ireland, the UK, Poland and the Czech Republic, shoring up or even enabling their manufacturing growth. The pairing of a strong supply chain with globally successful industries creates an economic spill-over, binding the EU economy closer together. Petros Fassoulas is ACCA’s head of policy and public affairs, Europe
Apple avoided paying billions of dollars in US taxes by structuring most of its operations offshore and failing to return profits to the US, according to a Congressional investigation. Some offshore operations that were a conduit for vast revenues did not have any employees and were run out of California, the investigation found. It also named Ireland as one of the main offshore jurisdictions that enabled businesses to operate as if they were ‘stateless’. Carl Levin, chairman of the investigations committee, said: ‘[Apple] has created offshore entities holding tens of billions of dollars while claiming to be tax-resident nowhere.’ In his evidence to the committee, Apple CEO Tim Cook said: ‘Last year, our US federal cash effective tax rate was about 30.5%, and we paid the US Treasury nearly US$6bn in cash.’
to stop gas and energy distribution companies from claiming tax relief for costs that have already been met by business customers, confirming the principle that businesses cannot claim capital allowances for costs paid by other businesses. Some energy companies recently attempted to claim capital allowances for costs met by customers, having previously not done so. Had they succeeded they would have generated large windfall profits for themselves, said the Treasury.
UK RETAILERS’ 59% TAX RATE
PwC HEALTH ROLE FOR MILBURN
Former health secretary Alan Milburn has joined PwC as the chair of its Health Industry Oversight Board. The firm said the new board represents a ‘key investment... which capitalises on PwC’s existing strength servicing public health, private health and pharmaceutical and life science clients’. The board will assist PwC in providing services to healthcare providers and the public sector as funders of services. Milburn said he will be convening ‘a panel of industry experts to help catalyse change across the health sector and to help PwC grow its presence in the health market’. Since leaving parliament in 2010, Milburn has taken several paid roles in the health sector at board level. More on PwC on page 42.
Retailers are suffering from a shift in the burden of taxation away from corporation tax towards indirect taxation and business rating, according to a PwC report. While the average total tax rate for companies in the Hundred Group is 39%, for retailers the rate is 59%. Business rate contributions by retailers increased by 30% between 2008 and 2010, said PwC. The British Retail Consortium is calling for a reform of taxation on the sector to level the burden between online and bricks-and-mortar retailers.
INSTITUTIONAL BRAKE ON PAY
ENERGY TAX LOOPHOLE CLOSED
Energy companies are to be blocked from using a legal loophole that could have cost the exchequer £900m. The Treasury is introducing legislation
Institutional investors play a big role in restraining executive pay and linking pay to performance, according to the Centre for Economic Performance, part of the London School of Economics. Low levels of institutional investment correspond to a weak relationship between pay and performance. A key finding was that executive pay outstripped average pay, including in the banking sector, despite the global financial crisis. Brian Bell, co-author of the study, said: ‘CEOs are often the target of criticism over high pay levels and there is an increasing gap between their pay and that of ordinary workers. But their pay growth over the last decade has broadly matched that of other top earners such as bankers, lawyers and management consultants.’
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CEO interview
ONWARDS AND UPWARDS
W
arren Buffett, the world’s greatest investor, once said that if a farsighted capitalist had been present when the Wright brothers made the first-ever flight in an airplane at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, in 1903 ‘he would have done his successors a huge favour by shooting Orville down’. The fact is that over pretty much the whole of the 20th century the aggregate shareholder value created by all the world’s airlines was significantly less than zero. Even today, after the collapse of unsustainable airlines from both the private and state-owned sectors, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) estimated recently that airlines are making a profit out of every passenger that is barely equivalent to the price of a sandwich: just $4 per ‘bum on seat’. This is the environment which British Airways CEO Keith Williams describes as ‘one of the most competitive industries there is’. In 2012 BA in effect lost the price of a sandwich on every passenger, making a net loss of £100m from carrying 37.6 million passengers (and 788,000 tonnes of cargo) around the world. Higher fuel costs presented a significant hit, though, and but for the rise in oil prices BA would have turned in a net profit much closer to the 2011 result of £672m – a week’s worth of sandwiches per passenger. The industry is certainly getting more hard-nosed about its travails. Williams says: ‘Governments are less likely to support their old national airlines and you’ve seen quite a lot of airline failures or consolidation.’ True enough. In recent years, state-supported carriers such as Olympic, Swissair and Sabena have gone (though often with a phoenix-like successor) while the number of major US airlines is shrinking, with mergers between United and Continental, Delta and Northwest, and US Airways and American. Air France and KLM merged in 2004. BA has itself been a consolidator in the industry. After some two years of
Promoted from CFO to CEO of British Airways, Keith Williams has shown a steady hand in piloting the company back into expansion mode after a period of turbulence that has seen some of the other major carriers drop from the skies
in April 2012. Now, with the Iberia merger well bedded down and BMI fully integrated (for one thing, BMI’s planes have all been resprayed), BA is on the rise again. The doubling of IAG’s share price over the last 12 months reflects that. The BA brand had something of a fillip during the London Olympics (remember the ‘Don’t fly’ #HomeAdvantage ads?), and a small fleet of Boeing 787 Dreamliners and huge double-decker Airbus A380s are due to enter service over the summer. There are even several major new routes for the carrier. ‘With new aircraft coming in and new routes available because of the acquisition of
‘PEOPLE GET CARRIED AWAY BY THE SMELL OF KEROSENE. YOU NEED TO BE DISCIPLINED AND LOOK AT THE RETURNS YOU CAN ACTUALLY MAKE’
talks, the airline agreed in April 2010 to merge with Iberia, completing the deal at the end of that year to create IAG, International Airlines Group. BA’s then chief executive Willie Walsh became CEO of the merged group while CFO Williams became CEO of the BA side of IAG. He also sits on the main IAG board. BA had also long had its eye on BMI (formerly British Midland) – an airline that Williams says ‘couldn’t exist on its own’ – and so bought it from Lufthansa BMI, putting the two together means we’ve got the opportunity to expand the network,’ Williams says, ‘which is something that we haven’t done for a number of years.’ The BMI acquisition gives BA valuable airport ‘slots’ and enables it to realign its capacity. ‘We are moving some of the short-haul flying that BMI did into new routes,’ he explains. ‘These may be fundamentally new routes or revisiting routes that we used to fly where the economic conditions
15
have changed or the industry has changed.’ Surprisingly, perhaps, BA hasn’t flown to Seoul before, but launched a service to the South Korean capital at the end of 2012. Sri Lanka is a destination that BA hasn’t served since 1998 but is back on the route map thanks to the growth of UK tourism. And Chengdu may be little known to those who aren’t doing business in China, but with an official population of 14 million it is the fourth-largest city in that country. At the same time BA clearly has to compete directly with the growing
number of low-cost airlines on shorthaul routes in and out of London. But BA’s is basically a different business model. That’s because a large slice of the airline’s business – which accounts for 35–40% of the traffic going through Heathrow, for example, says Williams – is in the form of transfer traffic onto other BA routes. ‘We fly to 177 destinations. To make that network work you need a mix of originating traffic from London and transfer traffic in from other airports in the UK or Europe,’ Williams explains, ‘which is why our short-haul network is substantial.’
The rise of Dubai
At the other end of the scale, the fast-growing, well-funded Middle East airlines in effect create new markets as well as present new competition. Not very many years ago, Dubai was barely in the top 100 of the world’s busiest airports. Now it’s ranked fourth in terms of passenger numbers. But while avoiding a diversion into the capacity constraints at Heathrow, Williams makes the point that Dubai now competes with Heathrow just as much as Emirates competes with BA. A passenger in Manchester, for example, ‘could fly BA Manchester-London-Asia
16
Going for gold: a BA plane brought the Olympic flame from Athens to the UK for the 2012 Games
‘WILLIE WALSH HAD A DEFINITE COST DISCIPLINE. IT STEMS FROM THE CEO AND THE CFO, TOGETHER’
or fly Emirates’ A380 ManchesterDubai-Asia,’ Williams says. ‘So Dubai is directly competing for that passenger – the transfer passenger.’ In rising to all these challenges, then, what are the buttons and controls that Williams can push and pull in the BA cockpit? His first answer seems almost startlingly laid back: ‘I spend a lot of my time reading what the customers are telling me and I spend a lot of my time out in the business finding out what the business is telling me.’ Clearly, then, he’s not one for imposing his own ideas on a workforce and customer base that ought to be grateful. ‘The internal culture and the external culture of the company need to meet around good customer service,’ he adds, noting that customers might write to him about almost anything: the lounges, the food, luggage – anything. ‘We learn from that.’ At least, unlike the storms that pilots always try to avoid, Williams and the rest of the BA management can try to actually do something about any turbulence that customers highlight. ‘I resurrected BA’s motto – “To fly. To serve” – which has been there since the 1950s,’ he says. ‘To me, that summed
The CV
Became CEO of British Airways as the airline merged with Iberia to create International Airlines Group.
2011
Promoted to CFO of British Airways.
2006 1998 1996 1991
Joins British Airways as head of tax, taking on group treasury as well two years later.
Reckitt & Colman, head of tax.
Apple Europe, Paris: various roles, ultimately treasurer. Trained at Arthur Andersen.
up what we’re about: everything should be aimed towards the customer.’ There are, you might say, four instrument displays that Williams steers the business by. He calls them the four Ps: Positioning of the brand: The aim is ‘to get the brand in the right position. We were big sponsors to the Olympics and in the big Superbrands survey we’ve gone up the ladder significantly. We are now fourth in terms of brand recognition in the UK. The brand has improved.’ Product: ‘This is partly around what we put on the aeroplanes but we’ve also got the new fleet coming in: 12 A380s and 24 787s. We’ve also just ordered six 777-300ERs, and plan to order some A350s and some additional 787s. It’s a significant replacement of the fleet and potential growth of the fleet.’ People: The culture of the company. ‘We were coming out of a cabin crew dispute that happened in 2009–10, so rebuilding the culture of the company and providing good customer service was something we needed to work on.’ Profitability: Of course. ‘To sustain the investment we’re making you need profitability.’ In business, finance often struggles to work effectively across the whole organisation, to get its message across and to be seen as a true business partner. Therefore, in trying to secure the profitability of the company, it’s tempting to think that having a CEO
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who is a former finance chief would help get the message across the organisation about the importance of cost and cash control. However, Williams doesn’t take all the credit for that. Rather, he maintains that the focus on costs goes back at least as far as his predecessor, Willie Walsh, even though Walsh’s career was never in finance – it started in the cockpit as an Aer Lingus pilot before he moved into general management and was recruited by BA as CEO in 2005. Williams, by contrast, had built up a specialisation in tax and treasury in a career spanning Arthur Andersen, Apple Europe and Reckitt & Colman, before joining BA in 1998 and being promoted to CFO the year after Walsh’s appointment. ‘Because of the nature of the industry and its margins, you’ve got to constantly keep an eye on your costs,’ Williams says. ‘Willie Walsh had a definite cost discipline. It stems from the CEO and the CFO, together.’
The tips
* * *
‘As CEO, you’ve got to let the team do the running of their own function. It’s a much more handsoff role than when you’re a CFO.’ ‘I’ve always been very conscious in my change of role that I don’t go back to my comfort zone. I appointed somebody to be CFO and he is the CFO.’ ‘Everything should be aimed towards the customer and that ultimately is our goal: “To fly. To serve.” People have to see me aligned to that goal because if I’m not, why should they align themselves to it?’
The basics
BRITISH AIRWAYS
Year in which British Airways merged with Iberia to create International Airlines Group.
2011 177 273
Better behaviour
Apart from the obvious discipline at BA these days, Williams says the industry itself is generally better behaved from a financial point of view. That includes the manufacturers, so availability is more limited, while the bank and capital markets ‘are much more sensitive about financing airlines than they have been in the past. Put the two together along with the number of US airlines that went through Chapter 11 bankruptcy and you’ll see they’ve learned that capacity discipline is important and financial returns are important – not only to shareholders but also in supporting their aircraft programmes. That has mitigated against this boom and bust where you order lots of aircraft and take delivery just as the economic cycle goes down.’ It sounds like you can take Williams out of finance but you can’t take finance out of Williams. Even as CEO
of the airline he still talks a lot about the economics and the finances. ‘People get carried away by the smell of kerosene,’ he says. ‘You need to be disciplined and look at the returns that you can actually make through what you do with the aircraft and the route network. Finance is a good discipline into that.’ BA’s own graduate programme introduces people in the finance stream into as many different areas of the business as possible because, while trainees’ careers may go off in any of a number of different directions, what they learn in finance will be something that stays with them. ‘When I meet young people,’ says Williams, ‘I tell them finance is a good discipline. But finance isn’t just about doing traditional finance work, it’s about learning business skills as well.’ If only the Wright brothers and their successors had known that, the airline industry might have had a very different history. Andrew Sawers, journalist
Number of destinations worldwide.
Aircraft in service.
British Airways revenue in 2012 (£10,827m).
€13,312m 73.5%
Proportion of IAG revenue generated by British Airways.
Number of employees.
38,761 20%
Greater fuel efficiency of incoming Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft compared with the airliners they will replace. For more on Keith Williams’ career path, visit www.accacareers.com/ career_centre
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THE NEXT GENERATION
‘W
e use our Earth as if we have a planet and a half; we have a deficit relation with our natural resources. The biggest challenge facing not just business, society and government, but humanity, is the question of our sustainability. And business as usual will do nothing to solve it.’ These are the words of the Global Reporting Initiative’s (GRI) chief executive Ernst Ligteringen at its global conference in Amsterdam in May, underlining the raison d’être of the sustainability reporting standard-setting body’s work as he unveiled the latest generation of reporting guidelines, known as G4, to a 1,600-strong audience of business leaders and financial professionals. The new guidelines replace the G3 guidelines, which were issued in 2006 and are now used by more than 4,000 companies and organisations in over 60 countries around world. Big-name companies using the guidelines include Royal Dutch Shell, SAP , EDF and Liberty Global, while smaller organisations include Christchurch International Airport in New Zealand. The launch of the G4 guidelines marks the culmination of two years of consultation involving 120 specialists and two consultation periods that attracted more than 2,500 responses. The new guidelines demand greater transparency from the organisations that use them, said GRI chairman Herman Mulder. ‘G4 is another step in the journey that we are taking,’ he said. ‘It is about creating better companies, a better market, a better world with more social justice and business managed in a responsible way.’
New, improved sustainability reporting guidelines were launched at a landmark Global Reporting Initiative conference in Amsterdam in May
Key features
The G4 guidelines aim to help companies produce clear, concise sustainability reports that are of high relevance to an organisation’s stakeholders. They aim to be more user friendly than previous versions, helping reporters to focus on and manage what really matters. ‘The new guidelines are easier to understand and check, and provide a lot of practical tools, overview tables and summaries,’ said Nelmara Arbex, deputy chief executive of the GRI. Some key features of the new guidelines are as follows: Materiality This is certainly not a new concept to the GRI, but the G4 places greater emphasis on the subject. The new guidelines aim to help organisations to produce reports that are concise and include
information and key performance indicators (KPIs) on material impacts only. Reporters must define materiality and provide full disclosure on the topics that are material to them. Value chain A major difference is the focus on an organisation’s value chain. Reporters must assess their complete value chain and disclose where their impacts are most material. This will present significant challenges to many companies, as such supply-chain transparency is complicated and expensive to attain, and will often involve the impacts of suppliers over which they have little control. Application levels The G4 no longer has a system of application levels (A, B, C), which many believed drove companies to take a checklist approach to reporting. Instead, an ‘in accordance’ system with two tracks – core and comprehensive – has been introduced. Disclosure on management approach The new guidelines will require organisations to report on how they identify and manage their actual or potentially material impacts. This kind of narrative disclosure will provide report users with a better idea of how companies are managing their impacts, which will provide greater context to the KPIs included within a report.
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Assurance In previous iterations of the guidelines, reporters would indicate whether they had some form of external assurance over their reports by adding a ‘+’ after their application level (eg A+). This did not provide any information about how much of the report was assured. This has been removed from the G4 guidelines, which instead has an additional column in the organisation’s GRI index table where reporters can indicate which elements of the report have been assured, thus providing greater transparency on the extent of external assurance.
*FOCUSING ON WHAT MATTERS
GRI and integrated reporting
A recurrent question that emerged from the GRI conference was how the G4 guidelines will fit in with integrated reporting (IR). The International Integrated Reporting Council (IIRC) recently published a consultation draft of the International <IR> Framework, which is due to launch later this year. The IIRC draft framework aims to allow companies to report on material information about an organisation’s strategy, governance and performance that reflects the commercial, social and environmental context within which it operates.
The G4 guidelines make it clear how organisations report on their economic, social, environmental and governance performance. The guidelines focus on what matters and what is material. This will be a great benefit to multiple stakeholders including investors. For ACCA, the credibility of sustainability reports can be enhanced by engaging with stakeholders and responding to their requirements and concerns, as well as seeking third-party independent assurance on the content of such reports. Organisations that want to enhance and improve accountability for stakeholders and investors will benefit by using the G4 guidelines and embracing the principles of integrated reporting. In the current economic climate, organisational accountability is an imperative. Being transparent and reporting on issues and impacts can help achieve this. We believe that all major entities in the public and private sectors should report publicly on the effect of their activities on the environment and societies in which they operate, along with reporting on their policies and how these have been translated into practice. ACCA has been a member of the GRI steering committee since its inception in 1998 and also sits on the GRI stakeholder council.
Neil Stevenson, executive director – brand, ACCA
According to the IIRC, IR is not simply about combining existing financial and non-financial disclosure, but will draw on elements of financial and sustainability reports to the extent that the information is material to how an organisation’s strategy creates and preserves value. The GRI will therefore be looking to offer guidance on how to link the
sustainability reporting process to the preparation of an integrated report. While there is still an element of uncertainty of the future of corporate reporting, the G4 guidelines are certainly a step in the right direction. ‘Without transparent corporate disclosure, we risk remaining in the past century, where
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GOVERNMENTS, COMPANIES, ORGANISATIONS, THEIR EMPLOYEES AND THE GENERAL WELLBEING OF THE COMMUNITY. BUSINESS CAN’T JUST BE ABOUT SHORT-TERM GAIN AND CEOS GETTING RICH’ ROBERT MCGARRAH, GRI BOARD MEMBER AND COUNSEL, AFL-CIO OFFICE OF INVESTMENT
FROM THE GRI CONFERENCE *SOUNDBITES ‘REPORTING GOES TO THE CORE OF
*
‘OUR RIVERS ARE POLLUTED AND THE AIR QUALITY IS AT STAKE. WE SHOULDN’T ONLY WANT TO INCREASE OUR GDP , BUT ALSO SWEDEN AT THE FOREFRONT OUR QUALITY OF LIFE’ Sweden adopted the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) guidelines for its stateYUAN WANG, CHIEF owned companies in 2007, becoming the first country in the world to do so. ECONOMIST, The main reason was to promote long-term sustainability for the companies’ owners – the people of Sweden – the country’s minister for financial markets, CHINA DEVELOPMENT Peter Norman, told delegates at the GRI conference. BANK Sustainability features prominently on the Swedish government’s agenda,
and government-owned companies are not expected to simply hand over a GRI report. Norman said: ‘We demand that our companies actually integrate sustainability in their policy.’ Sweden has taken reporting to the next step by making sustainability a responsibility of all boards of directors. ‘It is on their agenda, too, and they are monitored by the government to see if they are on track,’ added Norman, who hopes government policy will serve as an inspiration for Sweden’s private sector.
many of our resources have not been correctly priced and accounted for,’ said Christian Mouillon, Ernst & Young’s assurance global vice chair. ‘Without the correct sources of information, the market economy cannot function effectively.’
Gordon Hewitt, sustainability adviser, ACCA, and Suzanne Koelega, journalist To find out more about the G4 guidelines, visit www.globalreporting.org
‘IT IS SIMPLY NOT ACCEPTABLE THAT COMPANIES WASH THEIR HANDS AND SAY THAT THEY HAVE NOTHING TO DO WITH THEIR SUPPLIERS’ BRUNO SARDA, DIRECTOR, GLOBAL SUSTAINABILITY OPERATIONS, DELL
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Mark Carney, the incoming governor of the Bank of England, is charged with dragging the UK economy out of the doldrums. But is the task too ambitious?
MAN WITH A MISSION
Expectations are high that King’s successor, Mark Carney, will be the man who can turn round the UK’s ailing economic fortunes. He has all the right credentials. A former Goldman Sachs banker, he was governor of the Bank of Canada before taking on the Bank of England role. Canada still has a prized AAA credit rating and its sound fiscal and monetary policies have enabled it to weather the economic downturn better than its G7 peers. So Carney’s background will certainly stand him in good stead, but will it be enough? Robert Stenhouse FCCA, a director at Deloitte and an ACCA Council member, compares the mission Carney has accepted with the challenge faced by Mary Poppins. ‘He’s expected to fly in and restore order to a family that has all the right things in place but is somewhat dysfunctional,’ he told delegates at a recent ACCA event. ‘He’s expected to do a little bit of magic but, like Mary Poppins, be practically perfect in every way.’
R
eporters at Mervyn King’s final press conference in May were astonished to see something unusual on the face of the outgoing governor of the Bank of England – a smile, after five years in which the furrows of gloom appeared to be permanently etched into his features. The explanation for this good cheer was his announcement that the UK economy would grow more than expected in the second quarter of this year – by a modest 0.5%. It might not seem much until you consider the economy grew by just 0.2% in the whole of 2012 and the eurozone is still in recession. But with economic growth elusive and the public finances straitened – not to mention the ongoing uncertainty in the eurozone – there are still plenty of pitfalls ahead.
Only so much he can do…
Stenhouse pointed out that it was not down to Carney alone to drag the UK economy out of the doldrums: ‘The Bank of England’s core roles of ensuring monetary stability and contributing to financial stability are only meaningful in the context of a UK economy that has healthy levels of sustainable growth.’ Professor Tony Travers, a director of the London School of Economics and another speaker at the event, added: ‘The governor will not be responsible for British economic policy but he will be managing the Bank’s policies at
FOR MARK CARNEY *TOP TIPS JAMES BARTY: ‘STOP BUYING GOVERNMENT BONDS AND START BUYING ASSETBACKED SME LOANS’ SIMON HILLS: ‘SIGNAL CONFIDENCE IN THE BANKING SECTOR. DRAW A LINE UNDER HOW MUCH CAPITAL IS ENOUGH’
AMIT KARA: ‘ALLOW DISSENT AMONG BANK STAFF. WITHOUT FULL DEBATE, IT WILL BE VERY DIFFICULT TO AVOID THE NEXT CRISIS’ ROBERT STENHOUSE: ‘ENGAGE WITH THE UK ACCOUNTANCY PROFESSION’ PROFESSOR TONY TRAVERS: ‘TAKE ADVANTAGE OF COMING IN FROM OUTSIDE TO TRY TO EMBED CHANGES AND TRANSCEND COMPETITIVE PARTY POLITICS’
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a time when politicians of all parties are desperate for growth but lack policies that will predictably increase that growth without a short-term impact on already stubbornly high government borrowing.’ Travers also flagged the issue of inflation, which has nudged as high as 5.2% over the past two years and remains persistently above the government’s 2% target, squeezing real incomes and eroding the value of savings and pensions. ‘Carney will need to balance the trade-off between economic growth and inflation,’ he said. ‘He will have to judge whether the UK is emerging from the on-off recession that has been a feature of the past five years and, crucially, whether there will need to be a gradual adjustment to monetary policy.’ It goes without saying that Carney will have a long to-do list when he takes his place at Threadneedle Street this July. His most pressing concern is likely to be whether to stimulate economic growth by relaunching the bank’s quantitative easing (QE) programme. To date, this has pumped £375bn into the economy by creating money to buy government debt. In May, Carney praised Japan’s QE equivalent, which he described as a ‘bold policy experiment’. He is widely expected to favour similar action here. If Carney does go down the route of more QE, he will need to change
the bank’s approach, James Barty, a senior consultant with think-tank Policy Exchange, told the event. ‘The Bank of England has tried buying government bonds for the past five years,’ he said. ‘For the last three years, broad money growth has been negative, so I would argue that the experiment hasn’t worked.’ He believes the bank should be buying assets that get credit flowing through the economy – for example, taking loans to small businesses off bank balance sheets.
Forward guidance
Besides more QE, Amit Kara, European economist with UBS and another speaker at the event, suggested Carney should adopt forward guidance. This is a precommitment to individuals and businesses that interest rates will stay low so as to encourage them to invest. But as forward guidance relies on robust forecasting, Kara is concerned that making a commitment on an economy that has been extremely difficult to predict presents a reputational risk. ‘The last thing that a central bank should do is have people question its credibility,’ he said. As head of the Bank of England, Carney will oversee its Prudential Regulation Authority, which is responsible for the micro-prudential regulation of systemically important institutions, including banks, insurers
and certain investment firms. This will inevitably put him at the heart of the controversy surrounding regulation of the banking sector, particularly the Basel III rules on capital adequacy, which have acted as a drag on liquidity. Simon Hills, a director at the British Bankers’ Association, said: ‘He needs to understand the impact of Basel III on trade finance, infrastructure financing and lending to SMEs, which are seen as key subcomponents of the wider economy.’ Meanwhile, Barty said the Bank needs a radical personnel overhaul: ‘It’s academic in composition, dominated by insiders and distrustful of the financial sector,’ adding that this lack of understanding of the financial sector had contributed to its mistakes, both in not seeing the financial crisis coming and in misjudging the response in recent years. The huge sense of optimism that surrounds Carney’s arrival has been compared with US president Barack Obama’s inauguration in 2009. If King’s last press conference really did mark the turning of the economic tide and conditions improve, Carney will be hailed as a miracle worker. But if austerity measures cause the eurozone to fall apart and UK growth remains stalled, he may find it even harder than his predecessor to crack a smile. Sally Percy, journalist
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EASING PRESSURE
W
hen it comes to inflation, less is more. At least this has been the mantra of central bankers for much of the past two decades. Allowing price rises to creep much above 2% a year, financial mandarins have argued, would undermine the prospects for sustainable economic growth and could open the door to runaway inflation. But recently this devotion to ultralow inflation has started to soften. The Bank of England has tolerated price increases above its 2.5% target for 48 out of the past 60 months without taking action. Chancellor George Osborne has endorsed this more relaxed approach. Nor is Britain alone. Japan’s new prime minister Shinzo Abe has doubled the nation’s inflation target. Even in the US prominent monetary policymakers, such as Chicago Federal Reserve president Charles Evans, have said they would be willing to see price rises of more than 2% if it will help curb unemployment. For many economists this more tolerant approach is long overdue. ‘It is great news that policymakers are starting to take a less obsessive approach,’ says Ha-Joon Chang, an economics lecturer at the University of Cambridge and author of 23 Things They Didn’t Tell You About Capitalism. ‘The quest to maintain inflation at ridiculously low levels has actually been
A more tolerant approach to inflation is long overdue, argue some economists, while others warn that central banks are in danger of opening a Pandora’s box
economically harmful.’ Indeed some academics – including International Monetary Fund chief economist Olivier Blanchard – believe that a period of speedier price increases could actually help rich economies recover from the effects of the 2008 financial crisis. But others warn that central banks are in danger of opening a Pandora’s box that will eventually lead to unstable prices and economic misery.
Lack of evidence
There is still no agreement over why so many central banks around the world settled on such a low target in the early 1990s. ‘There was no real science to this, just group think,’ says Vincent Reinhart, a former director of monetary affairs at the Federal Reserve and now chief US economist at Morgan Stanley. ‘There was no convincing evidence that such low inflation was optimal for long-term prosperity.’ Instead, there is much evidence to the contrary. Research by Harvard economist Robert Barro suggests that until inflation exceeds 10% it does not start to undermine economic growth. In addition, there is also much anecdotal evidence that nations can flourish during periods of even higher price rises. In the 1960s and 1970s annual inflation in Brazil was around 40% and yet real per capita growth was around 4.5% a year – among the fastest in the world. South Korea managed a similar feat during this period – combining rapid growth and relatively high inflation. This experience is not confined to emerging nations. Despite a perception that the 1970s was a time of stagnation, the US economy grew
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on average at 3.2% a year during the decade while inflation averaged close to 8% a year. That was double the growth rate seen in the 2000s when price rises were just 2.4% a year. Yet former Federal Reserve chairman Paul Volcker has been lionised by central bankers around the world for crushing inflation, bringing it down from 13% in 1981 to 3.2% in 1983. ‘Inflation is not always the growthkiller that it is often portrayed as,’ says Phil Suttle, chief economist at the Institute of International Finance and a former head of emerging markets research for Barclays Capital. The experiment with focusing so hard on ultra-low inflation will be seen as a huge failure, he adds. ‘Between 1997 and 2007 the Bank of England for example was almost perfect at hitting its inflation target,’ he explains. ‘But they took their eyes off mounting problems that eventually caused the banking system to collapse. The idea that inflation targets would banish the caption boom-bust style cycle now seems comical.’ The past few years have also revealed
down to zero in the wake of the 2008 financial crisis, they had to resort to less tried-and-tested policies – including the massive bond purchases involved in quantitative easing. The fact that central bankers used up their ammunition so quickly also made it seem more necessary for governments to borrow and spend more – leading to heavier debt burdens that will eventually have to be repaid. The need for greater flexibility is part of the reason that a 2010 paper by the International Monetary Fund – co-authored by chief economist Olivier Blanchard – suggested a 4% target. At
Debt clearance
There is another reason that the transition to a moderately higher rate of inflation would be helpful. ‘The main economic enemy at the moment is a heavy debt load, which has been slowing down consumer spending and will take years to clear,’ says Mark Zandi. ‘Inflation can be useful in chipping away at this debt mountain.’ Moody’s Analytics estimated that an inflation rate of 4% would erode an extra US$1 trillion off the value the debt held by US households over the coming five years, compared to a 2% inflation rate. Of course, there are risks to faster rising prices. ‘Some will object that inflation will be a bailout for debtors at the expense of more prudent savers who invested in government bonds,’ says Alex Pollock, a fellow at the American Enterprise Institute and former chief executive of a regional bank in Chicago. ‘The shift could be disruptive for financial markets, producing a big sell off in government bonds.’ In addition, a bear market in bonds would raise the cost of borrowing for governments, making it more expensive to finance budget deficits. Still, advocates of a more relaxed approach to inflation rates believe that the benefits would outweigh these risks. ‘The determination to crush inflation at any cost has been a bad mistake,’ says Dr Chang. ‘You get a far more rational economic policy if you understand that a little bit of inflation is not always a disaster.’ Christopher Alkan, journalist based in New York
‘YOU GET A FAR MORE RATIONAL ECONOMIC POLICY IF YOU UNDERSTAND THAT A LITTLE BIT OF INFLATION IS NOT ALWAYS A DISASTER’
the danger of setting inflation targets too low. To give maximum boost to a flagging economy, central bankers like the option of implementing negative real interest rates – so that borrowing costs are less than the rate of inflation, giving citizens a strong incentive to take on credit. With inflation at just 2%, central banks quickly run out of room to cut interest rates – the socalled zero-bound problem. ‘When the target was being devised in the early 1990s it was assumed that policymakers would not run into this zero-bound problem very often,’ says Mark Zandi, chief economist at credit rating agency Moody’s Analytics. ‘That turned out to be too optimistic.’ After central banks had pushed rates this inflation rate, short-term interest rates could range around 6% or 7%, Blanchard argued, and central banks will have more firepower when the economy next turns south. Critics of this idea immediately hinted that inflation could quickly get out of control. John Taylor, a professor at Stanford University and former Bush administration Treasury official, warned that ‘if you say it’s 4%, why not 5% or 6%? There’s something that people understand about zero inflation.’ But again, not all moderate inflation escalates, says Dr Chang. ‘There is no proof that a 5% inflation rate inevitably leads to a 10% or a 50% rate,’ he says. ‘Nor is there much reason to think this is likely.’
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OLD, OLD, OLD
W
hoever is the reigning monarch in the early years of the next century is going to have to get used to sending a lot of congratulatory telegrams, or their electronic equivalent. The number of Britons living to be 100 has already quintupled in 30 years, from 2,500 in 1980 to 12,650 in 2010, and is set to reach 100,000 by 2035, according to the Office of National Statistics, which also forecasts that 35% of the 826,000 people born in the UK in 2012 will live to become centenarians. And if that all seems a long way away, government figures also show that between 2010 and 2030 the number of people aged over 65 will increase by 51%, while the number of over 85-yearolds will double. There is no doubt that behind the welter of statistics there are sobering implications for us all. As Professor Malcolm Prowle FCCA pointed out at a recent ACCA event looking at the UK’s ageing society, living longer is not usually viewed as a ‘problem’ by individuals themselves, provided they are enjoying a healthy and fulfilling old age, but it does present substantial social and economic challenges for local and central government. Prowle said: ‘The growth in the population of those aged 60-plus in both absolute and percentage terms is happening in not just the developed world – there are similar trends in developing countries. The global impact of ageing on GDP dwarves that of the impact of the recent financial crisis.’ Part of the difficulty arises because the reduction in mortality rates is coupled with a fall in fertility rates around the world. Two-thirds of countries are now below replacement level for their population. Professor Sarah Harper, director of the Oxford Institute of Population and Ageing, told attendees at the event: ‘If you are living longer, but with lots of children, while there may be environmental problems, other issues are much less acute.’ Harper explained that the combination of more people enjoying longer lives and fewer children being born will impact a host of issues, including the built and physical environment, transport and communications, health and education services, patterns of production and consumption, and political structures. already seeing a higher level of inward migration, which is helping to address the skills shortage and changing the make-up of the population. But it will also be necessary for older people to stay in work for longer, so that businesses can continue to benefit from their expertise and so that they themselves can build up their financial independence. Lord Filkin is chair of the House of Lords committee on public service and demographic change, which published last year’s Ready for Ageing report. He said: ‘We need to end the cliff edge approach to retirement as an idea or expectation. Employers will need to offer more flexible employment options.’ By working for longer, older people will help maintain the UK’s rate of economic and fiscal growth. They will also help themselves, as greater longevity is putting a severe strain on company and state pension schemes. Filkin warned that while reforms to pensions following the Turner Review, such as the introduction of auto enrolment, will go some way to improving financial planning for later life, many workers who contribute only the minimum 8% of qualifying earnings will end their employment with a very small pension pot. But he added: ‘You won’t get people contributing into pensions while distrust of financial products is so high and defined contribution schemes are such dreadful products, with people
Major adjustments
Harper added: ‘The challenge lies in the capability of the individual to make adjustments to their savings, behaviour and attitudes to intergenerational transfer, and in the capacity of institutions to support them.’ The impact on the workplace will become evident after 2018, at which point OECD research indicates there will be more people retiring than entering the labour markets. The UK, like many other countries, is
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of those born in 2012 will live to 100
35% 51%
The rapid ageing of the population leaves the UK’s economy, healthcare and pensions, to mention only the biggest issues, looking much too fragile to cope
Expected rise in number of over-65s 2010–30
Expected rise in number of dementia sufferers 2010–30 unable to find out what they will be getting back.’ As well as more encouragement for saving for retirement and better savings plans with more transparent pricing and outcomes, Filkin would like to see better equity release schemes so homeowners can access some of their capital and move into a property better suited to their needs as they age. faced by the UK’s health and social care system. Between 2010 and 2030, Department of Health figures predict a 40% rise in people with diabetes, a 50% hike in those with a stroke or cardiac problem, and an 80% increase in people with dementia. Long-term conditions such as these drive 70% of NHS costs, and also require a different approach to organising and funding care. Many older people only need occasional hospital care, while much more help will be required to look after them at home and prevent hospital admission. The government must find ways to integrate health and social care services so they are less hospital-centric and more focused on the individual. This, said Filkin, ‘presents the biggest systemic and organisational challenge you can imagine’. What’s more, it’s a seismic shift that is taking place against a background of low or no economic growth. The government – not to mention individuals themselves – therefore has little opportunity to find the necessary finance to provide for a happy, healthy old age for all. ‘This is a phenomenally big social change, and lots of people are unaware, unprepared and certainly underfunded,’ Filkin concluded. Pat Sweet, journalist
80%
Health and housing
This is especially important as living longer is also associated with disability. Many older people have chronic conditions such as heart failure, diabetes or arthritis, which can limit their mobility. They may want to swap large family homes with many stairs for smaller units with space for wheelchairs to manoeuvre and adapted kitchen and bathroom facilities, a move which presents big challenges for the housing market and housing policy. Richard Harbord FCCA is chief executive of Boston Council and chair of ACCA UK’s Public Sector Network Panel. He said: ‘Local authorities don’t build houses any more, so concepts such as sheltered housing are no longer on the table. And in the private sector, older people’s residential homes used to be provided by professional specialists, whereas now they are largely owned by the big funds with no direct interest except in the financial returns.’ But the ‘real ogre’, said Filkin, is the huge increase in demand and costs
From left: Professor Sarah Harper, Richard Harbord, Lord Filkin and Professor Malcolm Prowle
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HELTER SHELTER
A
merican politicians – like other politicians and pressure groups around the world – have long condemned tax havens as a global menace that need to be stamped out. Offshore centres, the case goes, enable companies and wealthy individuals to dodge tax and provide hiding places for criminal money. President Barack Obama is particularly fond of satirising the Cayman Islands, where a single office block – Ugland House – contains 18,000 offshore corporations. So the US has been at the forefront of global efforts to force such rogue jurisdictions to clean up their act. But how far are countries looking at their own back yards? America, it can be argued, has made one notable exception – for itself. ‘Much of the US attack on offshore financial centres is highly dubious given that it is the world’s best-known destination for setting up low-tax light-touch corporate structures,’ says Chas Roy-Chowdhury, head of taxation at ACCA. ‘The US is arguably the world’s largest tax haven,’ says Dan Mitchell, a fellow at the Cato Institute in Washington. ‘If you define an offshore centre as a place where you can easily and anonymously set up a corporation and minimise taxes, America can be hard to beat.’ Delaware, America’s chief financial refuge, is home to 945,000 companies, more than the number of citizens living in the state. Nevada has been trying to catch up, while Miami is a favourite destination for rich foreigners hoping to keep their assets hidden from their home governments. Ironically, US-led efforts to tighten standards elsewhere
Although the US is one of the major critics of offshore tax havens, the country is itself arguably the world’s largest tax haven, leaving it open to accusations of hypocrisy
have increased the relative appeal of the US as an offshore centre. This has laid the US open to the charge of hypocrisy. In April, the Austrian finance minister Maria Fekter, who has been resisting pressure to share private financial information with other nations, insisted that ‘Delaware and Nevada are tax havens and moneylaundering centres that have to be laid bare just as much’.
Birthplace of offshore
Indeed, some financial historians view the US as the birthplace of the offshore centre. As early as the 1880s the state of New Jersey pioneered certain strategies that later became hallmarks of financial centres like the Cayman Islands. The most notable was easy incorporation – the ability to set up a shell company quickly and
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cheaply. ‘Corporate headquarters were attracted to New Jersey primarily due to its liberal incorporation laws, and to some extent by its relatively low rate of corporate taxation,’ Ronen Palan, a professor at City University London wrote in a paper on the history of offshore finance. Noting this, Delaware emulated this approach when drafting its laws of incorporation in 1898.
Similarities to Cayman
The tiny east coast state has never looked back. Now it is almost impossible to distinguish from the foreign tax shelters that Obama often criticises. The state’s capital Wilmington – just 100 miles from Washington DC – even has its own answer to the Cayman’s Ugland House. The single-story 1209 North Orange Street houses a remarkable 285,000 companies – four companies for each of the town’s 70,000 inhabitants. These absentee tenants include such august corporations as Apple, American Airlines and Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway. What makes Delaware such an attractive destination is the ease with which a legal company can be formed, even with no staff, assets or operations. One of the big advantages the state offers is anonymity, says Bruce Zagaris, a partner at Washington law firm Berliner, Corcoran & Rowe. ‘In Delaware you don’t even need to disclose who actually owns the business,’ he says. ‘The true beneficiary can hire a local attorney to act as an agent.’ Such tactics have been used by upstanding companies, such as Walt Disney, which set up phantom Delaware corporations to amass in secret vast areas of land in Florida that would later become Disney World. Others value the anonymity for other reasons. Viktor Bout, the Russian arms dealer recently sentenced to 25 years in prison, had two addresses in Delaware. As a result Delaware can offer many clients greater confidentiality than more famous offshore centres, like the Caymans, Isle of Man or Jersey – all
of which compel greater disclosure. As recently as 2009 the US ranked number one in the Financial Secrecy Index, published by the pressure group Tax Justice Network. It has since fallen to fifth. But this is still a very high ranking out of 72 countries. Austria came 17th, for example. ‘The way the rules are set up in Delaware makes it extremely difficult to discriminate between criminals or legitimate investors,’ Zagaris says. ‘I could have five fraud convictions and still set up a company. By contrast the Channel Islands has to make sure that
other convenience that Delaware offers is that it does not tax income from intellectual property or interest. ‘As a result companies can save a lot of state tax by setting up subsidiaries in Delaware that own much of their patents or trademarks,’ says Scott Dyreng, a professor at Duke University. ‘A company can sell goods in hightax states but much of the profit is registered in Delaware, where royalty payments are sent.’ This Delaware loophole alone has cost fellow states around US$9.5bn in lost tax revenue over the past decade, according to a
‘SMALL JURISDICTIONS CAN BE FORCED TO MAKE CONCESSIONS. BUT THERE IS NO WAY THE OECD IS GOING TO TRY TO PUSH AROUND THE US’
you are a fit and proper person to form a company.’ Discretion is just one of the perks offered by Delaware. There is an almost complete absence of red tape and a single person can set up their own limited liability company. recent estimate published in The New York Times. Even aside from such obvious havens as Delaware, the US as a whole has often been a favoured location for those looking to minimise tax liabilities. One aspect that lures foreigners is that the country does not tax the interest or capital gains of non-resident aliens, Mitchell says, and does not report such earnings. ‘The US might not have very explicit policies to support financial privacy,’ says Mitchell. ‘But if you are the citizen of a despotic government you can use the US as a haven with a high level of confidence,’ says Mitchell. A strong case can be made that offshore financial centres offer valuable service. ‘Places like Delaware make it harder for politicians to impose high tax rates,’ says Mitchell. ‘They also perform a valuable role in human rights, making it easier for politically oppressed groups to keep their assets safe,’ Mitchell adds. But as one of the world’s largest tax havens, it could be argued that the US is in a weak moral position to castigate rival offshore jurisdictions. Christopher Alkan, journalist based in New York
Too big to be pushed
These advantages become ever more valuable as other offshore centres are forced to add extra layers of administration, says Dan Mitchell. Various initiatives by the rich nation OECD club and the Financial Action Task Force have insisted on ever tighter procedures to prevent money laundering. ‘Small jurisdictions can be forced to make concessions,’ says Mitchell. ‘But there is no way the OECD is going to try to push around the US.’ Worryingly for critics of tax havens, Delaware’s success has attracted imitators. The state collected US$860m in taxes and fees in 2011 from its absentee corporations, accounting for a quarter of the state’s budget. Wyoming and Nevada, eager for a share of this bounty, have instituted similar corporate regimes. To a degree it is the neighbours of such states that pay the price. One
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ANATOMY OF A COMPANY CAR
In the first of a new series of articles on fleet management, we take a look at what makes a good company car
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ompany cars remain an emotive and significant benefit for employees, allowing managers to use them to attract and retain the best staff. Ian Hughes, commercial director for Zenith, says: ‘A fleet manager serves as a facilitator for the business requirement and determines the priorities. If they are working for a prestigious organisation that wants to attract the best people, then they might have a German-based, free-choice policy. If the organisation is maintaining product in the marketplace and vehicles are carrying spare parts, they will buy a fleet of identical vehicles that will keep going as long as possible.’ Price is often not the prime concern because most fleets operate on the basis of rental rates or whole-life cost, and tax is predicated on CO2 emissions, which manufacturers continue to reduce. Also, although the price of new cars has increased over the past three or four years – and is likely to continue to do so – the secondhand value of the more desirable products has held, providing a good return on the initial outlay. This is a
by-product of the economic downturn. Fewer cars were sold in 2008–09, so the smaller number of second-hand cars available now is keeping residual values high. However, this does not apply to less aspirational, workhorse fleets. ‘Typically, the residual value of these is lower and manufacturers might give a slightly bigger discount to mitigate against that,’ says Hughes.
Fuel first
Price takes second place to the cost of fuel, which represents some 40% of a vehicle’s operating cost. The drive to reduce cars’ greenhouse gas emissions has also resulted in more efficient engines, and many companies reimburse on a fixed pence-per-mile rate, so it is in drivers’ interest to have a fuel-efficient car. And these days, smaller engines can consume less fuel without paying the penalty of reduced performance, making them a popular choice with motorists. Fleet managers also have to consider the heavy national insurance contributions and benefit-in-kind implications attached to giving and receiving free fuel benefits. Taking
a tax scale from an average diesel vehicle, an employee pays benefit in kind at 18% of a fixed £21,100 for fuel (£3,798) and their employer pays 13.8% national insurance on top of that, which comes to £524. ‘The outlay for the employer is the cost of the fuel, plus more than £500 – that is very, very expensive,’ says head of LeasePlan Consulting Matthew Walters. The second-hand market features here too because consumers are looking for cars that are not so expensive to run – gas guzzlers are out. Vehicles that emit less CO2 also pay lower vehicle excise duty (road tax). With so many factors to consider, fleet managers should focus on wholelife costs – corporation tax relief, the VAT recovery rate of the company, benefit-in-kind calculations, employers’ national insurance, weighted average cost of capital, road tax and insurance, along with rental finance, maintenance and repair. The government’s determination to keep manufacturers driving down emissions is also built into fleet financing. Companies can write down their capital allowance at 18% for
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vehicles with emissions at 130g/ km or lower, but at only 8% above that. Given the variety of funding methods, one size does not fit all and often a combination of contract hire, environmental cost of ownership and/or salary sacrifice scheme is the best option. ‘It is easy to beat up the leasing company to drive down the overall cost because a company can get a handle on what it pays per month for a car but not so easily on other areas, says Walters. ‘Understand what the fleet is costing you.’ Although safety is still a consideration for fleet managers, the Euro NCAP rating of new vehicles has brought an elevated level of safety features in all-road cars, which has removed the need for those running company fleets to worry unduly about manufacturing standards. But safety is not just a matter of vehicle manufacturing. A weather eye also needs to be kept on the ‘grey fleet’ (ie employees’ own cars) to ensure appropriate standards of maintenance, valid MOT and that drivers have business use on their insurance policy – something that is easily overlooked by employers and employees alike. Paul Marchment, fleet consultant at Arval, adds: ‘Driver behaviour has a big impact. If your drivers are travelling at high speeds, revving the vehicle, accelerating and braking sharply, this will use more fuel and generate unnecessary wear and tear on the vehicle.’ Education and training are key.
coming on-stream. Nissan has started manufacturing the Leaf at its plant in Sunderland, which suggests a vote of confidence in the segment; and BMW’s i range will be launched this year, including a hybrid range-extender option with an on-board generator that kicks in when battery power is low. ‘Electric vehicles are still niche and companies have to find an application where the range and technology is right,’ says Lex Autolease associate director Chris Chandler. Those that have succeeded include Siemens, Bourne Leisure and E.ON, all Lex Autolease clients, which have 27 electric vehicles between them. Zenith has two each of the Leaf and Vauxhall Ampera to allow staff to get into the local town, some four miles away. ‘The cars are doing 10 to 15 trips a day and we charge them up overnight,’ says Hughes. Cars from German manufacturers notably
combine efficiency with desirability. Even where a fleet has a low CO2 cap of 120g or 130g/km, they can still give a good choice such as a BMW 3 Series or an Audi A4. The entry model Range Rover Evoque is rated at just 130g/km. ‘It has flown off the shelves because it has a rugged-looking package with good fuel economy and CO2 emissions,’ says Chandler. ‘You would not have expected it to come in at under 170g.’ Even the BMW 5 Series three-litre diesel is rated at just 129g/km, which is particularly significant, as not being able to offer it would be a barrier to attracting the best talent for the business. Many new models of car include tools such as touchscreen technology and smartphone integration. ‘This allows field-based employees to use their car as a mobile office when they are parked,’ says Marchment. ‘The convenience of completing work-related tasks remotely is highly desirable.’ It may have caused a stir when the government allied benefit-in-kind calculations to CO2 emissions, but it has revolutionised the motor manufacturing industry and inspired a generation of vehicles that not only have low emissions and low fuel consumption, but are aspirational too. Ten years ago that would have been unimaginable. Catherine Chetwynd, journalist
Electric revolution
Electric vehicles have traditionally had mixed reviews because of their limited range and the difficulties of recharging but a new generation is
BENEFIT-IN-KIND CALCULATIONS AND CO2 EMISSION LIMITS HAVE INSPIRED A GENERATION OF VEHICLES THAT NOT ONLY HAVE LOW EMISSIONS AND LOW FUEL CONSUMPTION, BUT ARE ASPIRATIONAL TOO
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SOUR GRAPES
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s risk-averse companies and banks stayed away from the deals scene, merger and acquisition (M&A) activity during 2012 involving UK companies fell to its lowest level for 30 years. Given the stagnation in M&A activity, both in the UK and in the European Union (EU), one could be forgiven for thinking that French wine producers would be celebrating the prices being paid by Chinese investors snapping up French vineyards. Despite the gloomy picture for corporate acquisitions throughout the EU, nothing seems to be deterring wealthy Chinese buyers from quenching their insatiable thirst for top-quality French wines – and for whom choosing a wine means buying the vineyard. In contrast, the number of French wine drinkers has plummeted year on year and is now in virtual freefall, from a consumption of 160 litres per adult in 1965, 57 litres in 2010 and heading to a projected figure of no more than 30 litres per adult. This serious decline in the French domestic wine market, combined with a softening of global wine prices, was giving the top Bordeaux producers a ‘headache’ – until the Chinese came to the rescue. With the Chinese super-rich looking for increasingly impressive status symbols, owning a top French vineyard has to be ‘it’. Particularly so if it happens to be ‘brand Bordeaux’ – with mainstays like Château Lafite, Château Latour and Château d’Yquem becoming bottles of choice and making China the biggest export market for Bordeaux wines, exceeding even the traditional markets of the UK, the US and Germany. Small wonder then that the pace of Chinese acquisitions of French vineyards, combining the ultimate status symbol with a slice of topdrawer EU real estate, is quickening. Some purchasers plan to turn their centuries-old châteaux into hotels for Chinese wine tourists, while others are sending their domaine’s entire production to China to meet the massive demand of this huge market.
Not everyone is toasting the fact that Chinese acquisitions of French vineyards are on the up, says Stewart Price FCCA, with accusations flying that France is selling its soul
The Chinese middle class – which some define as those able to afford a €50 bottle of wine – is already 300-million strong, equalling the entire population of the US. This is projected to grow to 800 million, explaining the burgeoning growth of China’s wine market – with the central government’s blessing in trying to wean the population off harder liquor. Michael Baynes of Maxwell Storrie Baynes, the well-known Bordeaux vineyard real estate agents for Christie’s, says: ‘Bordeaux has a much higher international profile than, say, Burgundy, and has always been international… it’s used to having international owners – American, Irish, British – it’s nothing new to see a new group arrive.’ Baynes says that the Chinese are very keen to keep local management, maintain confidentiality and downplay Chinese ownership of the vineyards. Often the new owners have little or no experience of winemaking and rely on being able to retain in-house expertise, local winemakers and oenologists. The first estate in Bordeaux to be bought by Chinese investors was Château Latour-Laguens in 2008. Since then there have been many more, with others still in the pipeline, but negotiations and transaction times can take on average eight to 12 months. According to Baynes, there is now a
Market force
‘It’s very difficult to grasp how vast the Chinese wine market is,’ says Adam Dakin of Vignobles Investissement, vineyard brokers based in France. ‘China is expected to become the world’s largest wine-producing country within the next five years.’ According to Dakin, over 30 Bordeaux vineyards have been sold to Chinese buyers in the past two years alone. ‘They are very image conscious, they like “names” and want to own French vineyards to be able to say that they produce wine in France,’ he says.
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is projected that Chinese and * It ‘BORDEAUX HAS A MUCH HIGHER INTERNATIONAL Hong Kong drinkers will increase their consumption of wine by over PROFILE THAN BURGUNDY. IT’S USED TO HAVING 50% by 2015. INTERNATIONAL OWNERS – AMERICAN, IRISH, BRITISH’ China is the world’s fifth largest
*WINE FACTS
* wine market, but consumption is
still under one litre per capita.
stable market with an average price of between €15,000 and €25,000 per hectare for simple AOC Bordeaux, compared to say the best vineyard land in Pauillac, which fetched €1.65m per hectare in 2011. Up to now, Chinese investors have tended to buy ‘smaller ticket’ estates and the smaller struggling châteaux, from €2m up to €10m, which didn’t worry local wine growers too much – for many, it was a lifesaver. However, with domestic and traditional markets shrinking, difficult vintages, weakening prices and profitability thin on the ground, there are ‘sour grapes’ from some French wine producers as things are changing. Chinese buyers are now looking to the more upmarket and higher-profile labels. Last December, a wealthy Chinese entrepreneur bought Château Bellefont Belcier, a grand cru vineyard in Saint-Emilion, said to be the first high-quality acquisition in Bordeaux. It is thought that the selling price was between €1.5m to €2m per hectare for this 17th-century 20-hectare vineyard. And over in Burgundy, French tempers are at boiling point with the
sale late last year of the prestigious Château de Gevrey-Chambertin, a listed 12th-century château with a twohectare vineyard, for a rumoured €8m to a Macau-based businessman – said to be well above a local offer of €5m and an estimated value of €3m. The owners wanted €7m and sold it for €8m, according to Jean-Michel Guillon, president of the GevreyChambertin winemakers’ syndicate, who now dreads a wave of wealthy Chinese investors moving into Burgundy and ‘plundering’ Burgundian heritage forever. Unlike Bordeaux with its 8,000 châteaux, of which Chinese ownership represents a tiny percentage, Burgundy is relatively small with family dominated estates that tend to be passed down the generations. Amid cries that France is ‘selling its soul’, this xenophobic row has now become political and diplomatic – France’s far-right Front National has become involved and there is a simmering trade dispute between Beijing and the EU regarding subsidies to French winegrowers and talk of Chinese tariffs on French wine imports.
2011, China consumed 156 * In million cases of wine compared to
*
*
France’s 300 million cases. Chinese drinkers mix white wine with Coca-Cola and red with Sprite (instances have been reported of US$170 bottles of Château Lafite-Rothschild being mixed with Sprite), with glasses of wine often being downed in one swig. China is expected to become the world’s largest wine producer within five years – its best wines are already winning international acclaim and beating some Bordeaux wines in professional tastings.
With Burgundy insiders saying that other domaines are quietly seeking or are already in secret negotiations with prospective Chinese buyers, the loss of Burgundian ‘sovereignty’ may be only just beginning. Stewart Price FCCA CF is a corporate finance adviser and independent wine writer
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Business finance
Inside track: a banker’s view
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Continuing our 2013 series on access to finance, Rebecca McNeil, head of Business Lending at Barclays UK Retail Business Banking, Products and Segments, considers how technology can benefit both SMEs and banks
For any bank, a funding application from an SME is much easier to assess when the business in question is in control of its money. Some business owner-managers may function highly efficiently using traditional paper-based record-keeping and accounting techniques. Even those that file receipts in cardboard boxes to hand over to their accountant at the end of the year may still run healthy operations. However, such entrepreneurs could potentially make their lives substantially easier – and enhance their opportunities for growth and development – by making the most of technology. Many businesses now appreciate the potential offered by the internet, mobile and digital communications to drive new sales and serve customers more effectively. Research shows that 93% of small businesses have some sort of internet access. Given the explosion in mobile device use, it is unsurprising that there has also been a significant rise in the numbers of businesses using mobile to go online. Businesses of all sizes, including the very small, seem to have embraced mobile as opposed to fixed-line internet use. Younger businesses tend to be particularly internet-attuned, and more likely to have fixed and/or mobile internet access than the market average. The use of cloud-based services is also growing: 20% of SMEs regularly use them to communicate with customers or suppliers.
Q:
I want to run and grow my business efficiently. How can technology help me do this and support any application for finance I may wish to make?
owner-managers to gain greater insight into, and control over, their operations. These can supplement an SME’s core accounting software, which again can be widely accessed online and remotely, giving owner-managers more flexibility over when and how they handle their business accounting. When it comes to accessing business cash itself, most banks offer internet banking. Though a minority of business owners still struggle with the concept of managing their banking activities online, perhaps due to lack of knowledge or concerns over security, those who have adopted internet banking appreciate the benefits. Business customers tend to log in to their online or mobile banking a
technology for all their customers, SMEs included. Barclays Mobile Banking offers its customers the fastest and easiest way of checking account balances, making payments and managing money. By use of a secure PIN, business customers can access accounts quickly and easily wherever they may be – while on the move, visiting suppliers or at home after a busy day. Text alerts can even be set up to notify receipts. Fast-moving developments in mobile banking are also making it easier for businesses to collect payments from customers. By using Barclays Pingit, for example, plumbers, mobile hairdressers or any other entrepreneur on the move can take immediate payment from a private customer through their mobile phone – with no account details ever being disclosed. The Payments Council is encouraging standardisation and wider usage of mobiles for making secure payments. It is launching a service involving eight financial institutions representing 90% of UK current accounts in spring 2014.
THE PAYMENTS COUNCIL IS ENCOURAGING STANDARDISATION AND WIDER USAGE OF MOBILES FOR MAKING SECURE PAYMENTS
lot more than personal customers. Greater monitoring is linked to stronger business control and business success. Internet banking allows businesses to check balances at any time, monitor receipts easily, make payments quickly and efficiently, and generally stay in control of all money matters. If you add mobile technology to the mix, there is even more potential to improve control over cash management. Banks are focusing more on maximising the benefits of mobile It is also worth noting that online credit-check services are available, making it easier and faster to check and track the creditworthiness of a customer before agreeing a deal.
Managing finances efficiently
So how can SMEs use technology, particularly internet and mobile-based developments, to their advantage when it comes to managing their finances? A range of online cashflow and forecasting tools is available, enabling
Multiple benefits
Online tools and services can help businesses stay in control of their finances, helping them monitor their financial position easily, quickly and remotely. Having easy access to accounting and financial information,
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including potential demands on cashflow, can also streamline and simplify the process of completing applications for bank finance. The more informed a business is about its financial position and cashflow trends, the better it can explain its finance needs to business managers. And there are benefits for an SME’s accounting advisers too – if business records are available online or in digital form, completing routine compliance work such as year-end annual returns is more straightforward, freeing up time and resources for the provision of more value-adding accounting advice and support. For example, Barclays’ eSync Direct service enables accountants to streamline common tasks, such as the downloading of clients’ bank transactions for importing into accounting software. Use of such services is expected to grow. Can innovation and technology ever totally replace personal involvement in business or banking affairs? Absolutely not. Successful businesses are often founded on the ability to build strong relationships with customers. Similarly, while banks are keen to develop innovative tools to help their customers, and to use technology to make processes more efficient, the
need for personal input will always remain. Applications for bank funding, for example, are handled as efficiently as possible, using workflow technology to enable digital access by the departments concerned. Any checks that can be automated will be. The idea is to create a faster, more efficient process. But human insight, understanding and decision-making will often need to be applied to lending and finance decisions. Technology can
assist and improve, but never fully replace, the human touch. In conclusion, banks look for well-run businesses. The more proof an SME can provide that the business is being managed well, the greater the chance of a successful lending application and building a strong banking relationship. The bottom line is that innovation and technology can help businesses manage their cashflows more easily and effectively – and that always stands a business in good stead.
*ONLINE ADVICE ON BUSINESS FINANCE
* * * *
This article is just part of a partnership between ACCA and Barclays, which is helping SMEs to grow. The initiative extends to a jointly branded area of ACCA’s website providing advice to accountants in practice and SMEs on obtaining business finance. Written by experts from both Barclays and ACCA, the site: looks at the different types of finance available explores what to consider when choosing which one is the right option for their business explains how different types of loans are structured provides guidance on making that all-important loan application. There are also examples on the site of business plans and cashflows to help put together an effective loan application.
THE ACCA/BARCLAYS WEBSITE IS AT:
www.accaglobal.com/en/business-finance.html
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Comment
The trick to catching a frisbee
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Financial regulators would do well to pause from their mighty labours in adding to the mountain of legislation, rules and guidance and consider the behaviour of the average dog, says Robert Bruce
policy symposium. It is a big deal, but it is summer and it is Haldane. The audience is alert. ‘Catching a frisbee is difficult,’ he starts. ‘Doing so successfully requires the catcher to weigh a complex array of physical and atmospheric factors, among them wind speed and frisbee rotation. Were a physicist to write down frisbee-catching as an optimal control problem, they would need to understand and apply Newton’s Law of Gravity. Yet despite this complexity, catching a frisbee is remarkably common. Casual empiricism reveals that it is not an activity only undertaken by those with a doctorate in physics. It is a task that an average dog can master.’ Then comes the heart of his argument. ‘Indeed some,’ he says, ‘such as border collies, are better at frisbee-catching than humans.’ The penny is starting to drop among his banking audience. Haldane continues. ‘So what is the secret of the dog’s success?’ he asks. And then he tells them. ‘The answer, as in many other areas of complex decision-making, is simple. Or rather, it is to keep it simple. For studies have shown that the frisbee-catching dog follows the simplest of rules of thumb: run at a speed so that the angle of gaze to the frisbee remains roughly constant. Humans follow an identical rule of thumb.’ It is summer. Listen to that short sentence. It is one of the most relaxing in the English language. Now imagine you are no longer in your office. You are on a beach somewhere. And as you look through the shimmering heat haze you can see a dog running. It is trying to catch a frisbee thrown skimming over the sand. It leaps exuberantly and carries out a breathtaking highspeed manoeuvre. The frisbee is seized in mid-air. You can settle back now. You have just learned the most important lesson in regulation. The future of the accounting profession, standard-setters, bankers, financial services, and almost anyone you care to mention depends on it. You need to go back to last summer: August, to be precise. In Jackson Hole, Wyoming, Andy Haldane, the splendidly off-the-wall executive director for financial stability at the Bank of England is about to get to his feet and make a speech to the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City’s annual economic
Where are we going with this?
We are talking of the great economic crisis. ‘Catching a crisis, like catching a frisbee, is difficult,’ he tells his audience. ‘Doing so requires the regulator to weigh a complex array of financial and psychological factors, among them innovation and risk appetite. Were an economist to write down crisis-catching as an optimal control problem, they would probably have to ask a physicist for help. Yet despite this complexity, efforts to catch the crisis frisbee have continued to escalate. Casual empiricism reveals an ever-growing number of regulators, some with a doctorate in physics. Ever-larger litters have not, however, obviously improved watchdogs’ frisbee-catching abilities.’ And anyone who has looked, even in a casual way, at the sheer quantity of legislation, activity and paperwork produced since the crisis broke understands the point. The legislators and politicians will point to public anger. This anger, they will argue, has to be assuaged. People have to understand that something is being done. But the point that Haldane was making is that, while the public
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may sleep better from observing the astonishing amount of legislation and bickering so spawned, the problem itself remains unaddressed. ‘So what is the secret of the watchdogs’ failure?’ asked Haldane. ‘The answer is simple. Or rather, it is complexity.’ And this urge to pile further complexity on complexity is driven on inexorably by everyone in the financial world. Earlier in the year, the International Accounting Standards Board (IASB) ran a forum on financial reporting disclosure. Russell Picot runs external financial reporting at one of the world’s biggest banks, HSBC. Putting it simply to the forum, he pointed out that ‘the pressure from the regulators is always to add more disclosure rather than to remove disclosure’. Paul Lee of Hermes Equity Ownership Services said: ‘The miasma of data, too often provided by management in an entity’s financial reports, does not reflect clarity of thought.’ And the degree of detail being minutely argued over
in the IASB’s latest offerings on leasing and insurance, for example, does not suggest that the tide of complexity is doing anything other than roaring up the beach, overwhelming everything in its path. Haldane’s still voice of calm needs to be heard: ‘In financial regulation,’ he said, ‘less may be more.’
Fighting complexity
His conclusion to the speech took the form of a warning: ‘Modern finance is complex, perhaps too complex,’ he said. ‘Regulation of modern finance is
complex, almost certainly too complex. That configuration spells trouble. As you do not fight fire with fire, you do not fight complexity with complexity. Because complexity generates uncertainty, not risk, it requires a regulatory response grounded in simplicity, not complexity. Delivering that would require an about-turn from the regulatory community from the path followed for the better part of the past 50 years. If a once-in-a-lifetime crisis is not able to deliver that change, it is not clear what will. To ask today’s regulators to save us from tomorrow’s crisis using yesterday’s toolbox is to ask a border collie to catch a frisbee by first applying Newton’s Law of Gravity.’ So this summer, as you lie on the beach wondering about the future, keep the image of that chasing dog at the forefront of your mind. It is the regulator supreme. It knows of only one objective. And the most effective way of achieving it is the simplest. Its jaws snap shut. Job done. Robert Bruce is an accountancy commentator and journalist
*THE US REGULATORY MOUNTAIN: NO SUMMIT YET IN SIGHT
There is a pattern here. In the wake of the Enron crisis a decade or more ago, the US passed the SarbanesOxley legislation. This was supposed to ensure that such a calamity never happened again. I remember being at a seminar in London where a trio of US accountants and lawyers flooded the screen with a sequence of spreadsheets of the information which the average company would require to satisfy the regulation. Memory may be playing tricks, but I recall the seminar lasting for many hours. Then came the great banking collapse. More legislation was created. This was the massive edifice of DoddFrank, implemented ‘to promote the financial stability of the United States by improving accountability and transparency in the financial system, to end ‘‘too big to fail’’, to protect the American taxpayer by ending bailouts, to protect consumers from abusive financial services practices, and for other purposes’.
When the Dodd-Frank Act was passed in 2010, it was 2,600 pages long. It was then decided that some 243 further rules would be required; 100 or so committees spawned consultation papers that in turn demanded several hundred pages of documentation. And still it continues. The chronological listing on the website of the Securities and Exchange Commission, shows still further proposed rules and ‘interpretative guidance’ scrolling through as we speak.
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Comment
Destiny pays a call
[
The greatest leaders have such abiding clarity of purpose that they are often seen as having been born to perform their task. Yet, says Peter Williams, the best leaders can just as easily be made
of vision – which drives them into a position where others follow. However, there are clearly some attributes in common. Great leaders have an idea – a vision – they believe in with passion, and want to share with others. They focus on a key idea and refuse to be distracted by side issues. They also believe in those who work for them and delegate accordingly. This ensures they don’t try to do too much and in the process lose sight of what they were originally trying to do. But while they can create great teams to help them achieve their goals, they will also create opposition. And to deal with that opposition successfully requires a mixture of conviction, courage and perseverance. An effective leader doesn’t necessarily have to be long serving in the way Thatcher and Ferguson were. And while some are more willing to be leaders than others it is a task that the more reluctant can eventually learn to take on. History is littered with individuals who became successful leaders only after outright refusals, false starts and what could have been seen as career-limiting mistakes. There is an element of moral blindness about leadership; espousing a cause well and with conviction does not make it good nor right. The Thatcher/ Ferguson model summons up images of stridency, even aggression, but that is not inevitable. Leaders can manipulate their style according to circumstances; consensus and ‘slow management’ play their part, just as much as brash authority and rapid decision-making. Leaders may be born, but thinking and practising the art of leadership means that they can also be made. While Thatcher and Ferguson could not have been more different in personality or belief, they both knew who they were and were secure in that identity. And it was that identity and self-belief that drove them on. Leaders can be seen as having a sense of destiny, of being chosen for a particular task, and to achieve that task they work within a particular community, which could be a football club or a country. Leadership, formal or informal, recognised or hidden, takes place all the time and at every level in every community. Which rather begs the question: what leadership have you exercised today? Peter Williams, accountant and journalist That rough but beloved calculator of the importance of a subject – the Amazon book store – tells the enquirer there are 70,829 books in the category of leadership. Clearly, a lot of us either believe ourselves to be, or aspire to be, leaders. We see leadership most clearly in exceptional role models. Through death and retirement respectively, Margaret Thatcher and Alex Ferguson have reopened the debate about the nature of leadership. Examples of leadership always offer hope that we can apply them to our own situation – even if the equally important, if slightly different, roles of prime minister and football manager may not be our next career move. Attempts to define leadership in terms of a checklist are likely to end in tears. Successful leaders don’t look to formulas. Instead they possess some inner quality – of character and
MORE ON INTEGRATED REPORTING, MAY EDITION
www.accaglobal.com/vision
Comment
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Two cheers for integrated reporting
[
Integrated reporting will bring in some definite benefits for shareholders, says Jane Fuller, but some elements of the international framework package will make an entrepreneur’s heart sink
purchase or creation of other assets – including human ones. Here capital is muddled up with equipment, inventory and relationships with suppliers. It also extends to things the company cannot control – nebulous other capitals that ‘belong to stakeholders or to society’. The stress on public interests sometimes belies the statement that providers of capital are the primary audience. It is also odd that the business model is narrowly depicted as a series of inputs and outputs, like a sausage machine. Where is the understanding that, first, an entrepreneur must identify a demand for sausages and then work out how to supply them at a competitive but profitable price? Businesses come in many varieties: industrial or service, cyclical or not, mature or immature, fee-based or asset-based. All present specific risks and opportunities that investors do indeed want to hear about. But is it really best to explain this via a complicated matrix of contrived capitals, with internal and external effects, over multiple time horizons? The six guiding principles are more straightforward and rightly have strategy and the ‘value creation story’ at the top. But some of the detailed requirements are not realistic. Take the disclosure of ‘material trade-offs’. Is a budget carrier really going to say ‘we will get away with irritating our customers so long as our flights are cheap and we don’t crash’? Dream on. Nevertheless, IR can reach some of the parts financial statements cannot, including an explanation of factors that create or destroy intangible value. A stripped-down version of the IR framework would have its uses for companies and investors. As it happens, much of the guidance already exists in company law and numerous documents on stewardship and narrative reporting. That includes the rather good OFR guide that Brown dismissed but the UK Accounting Standards Board still published. Jane Fuller is former financial editor of the Financial Times and codirector of the Centre for the Study of Financial Innovation think-tank ACCA’s view on integrated reporting is at www.accaglobal.com/accair It’s less than eight years since Gordon Brown, then chancellor, binned the idea of a statutory operating and financial review for quoted companies because it would amount to gold-plating an EU directive. Yet pressure to add to narrative reporting requirements has never abated. The financial crisis amplified demands for people and the planet to receive as much attention as profits. Calls for additional disclosures have come not only at national level but now, ambitiously, through the International Integrated Reporting Council. As an advocate of enlightened shareholder value, I believe it makes no sense for a business to annoy its customers, employees or suppliers, break the law or poison the environment. Yet companies should not be used as vehicles for public policy and some of the integrated reporting (IR) rhetoric strays into this zone. But if the clamour cannot be silenced, then the proposed international IR framework has some advantages. It could harmonise the approach to non-financial reporting, taking in other work on narrative reporting, directors’ stewardship and shareholder engagement. The checklist of questions an integrated report should answer reads like a director’s handbook. The emphasis on a forward-looking and unbiased view is welcome, as is the attempt to connect the dots between financial and non-financial reporting. But 38 pages of exhortation are bound to contain things that will confuse business purpose and make an entrepreneur’s heart sink. Most irritating of all is the first of the portentous ‘fundamental concepts’, the six ‘capitals’. Life is much simpler if the word ‘capital’ is applied only to the financial variety, which funds the
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Comment
All pull together
[
Audit is not just the auditor’s responsibility, says ACCA president Barry Cooper – the whole reporting supply chain must contribute
Audit and auditors have been under the microscope in recent months, with many, particularly those commentators who make the most of 20/20 hindsight, questioning the role of both in a number of financial failures. While auditors clearly have a crucial role in ensuring that audit reports are accurate and reliable, it is important to remember that audit quality is not the exclusive responsibility of the auditor. ACCA made the point in its recent response to a consultation by the International Auditing and Assurance Standards Board (IAASB) on a proposed international framework for audit quality. In setting down what is important to audit quality, the framework has also made it crystal-clear that it’s not all down to the auditor. While auditors have to comply with stringent quality control standards, it is vital that all the stakeholders in the corporate reporting supply chain pull together to maximise audit quality and do not abdicate responsibility by pointing to those with the word ‘audit’ in their job titles and saying it’s solely down to them. Audit increases user confidence in the credibility of corporate reporting in all sectors and facilitates the efficient allocation and use of capital, particularly in rapidly emerging economies. Audit must therefore be of a consistently high quality, which is why ACCA is committed to doing all it can to embed audit quality in our education, qualification, support and regulation of audit professionals and firms. The most important stakeholder in all this is the person who relies on the audit report, so it is critical that the proposed framework adopts the shareholder perspective in judging the importance of factors relevant to audit quality and identifies the complex interactions between those factors. The framework should also inform debate about key issues, such as mandatory rotation of auditors, so stakeholders can make informed choices. It will also be important that the final framework not only recognises the importance of innovation and ensures that audit quality is judged in the dimensions of modern business activities, but that it also sees the threats to audit quality and enables all stakeholders to address them. Professor Barry J Cooper is head of the School of Accounting, Economics and Finance at Deakin University, Australia
Practice
41
NT SCHEME SHUT DOWN
A tax avoidance scheme that involved selling £6m of shares for £592 has been closed down by HMRC. The scheme had been promoted in 2006 to 400 wealthy people by Matthew Jenner of NT Advisors, a consulting and advisory firm for the technology sector. HMRC said the decision of a tax tribunal against the scheme has protected around £190m in tax revenue. The scheme was based on generating a massive loss on the sale of the shares, which did not manifest in an actual cost to the shareholders and was only a paper loss to avoid tax. The tribunal described the operation as one of ‘magic’. Shares in a British Virgin Island company set up for the purpose were sold to investors for millions more than they were worth. The users of the scheme were left owing money to offshore trusts created for their own benefit, so that it did not matter that they never paid for the shares.
The view from:
Wales: Claire Thompson ACCA, audit and accounts senior, Broomfield and Alexander
Q What does your job entail and what sectors do you work with? A I work as an audit and accounts senior in the charity and not-for-profit department of our Newport office. My day-to-day job entails onsite auditing of not-for-profit organisations and charities, preparing the annual financial statements and liaising with and reporting back to the client on any findings. Q What is the main challenge charities face today? A The main one is the risk of loss of funding from a key grant provider. More and more charities are having to look to diversify their income streams as much as possible as competition for funding is extremely high. Own income generation is now seen as a key factor in the survival of a charity. Q What are the main issues affecting the Welsh business community these days? A Unemployment and the survival of the high street are the principal challenges. Q How has being ACCA-qualified facilitated your career progression? A ACCA has had an extremely positive impact on my career. The qualification has enabled me to progress my career very quickly, allowing me to enjoy greater variety in my current job role. That in turn has meant that I can expand and build on what I have learnt from my studies, giving me a wider understanding of the accountancy and finance world. Q Where would you like to see your career in the next five years? A I would like to gain management experience, which will allow me to be in charge of my own team. I would like my career to grow, and to develop a wide range of skills and understanding of the finance sector.
41 Practice The view from Claire Thompson of Broomfield and Alexander; becoming a partner at PwC; the British Accountancy Awards 2013 48 Corporate The view from Kevin Fleming of Capita Employee Benefits; the UK’s export imperative 55 Public sector The view from Paddy Gray of the University of Ulster; has the government got its pension sums right?
MATTHEWS MIST IN WITH WK
Wilkins Kennedy has merged with Southampton firm Matthews Mist & Co. Partners John Mist and Christopher Matthews join Wilkins Kennedy as consultants. Ian Talbot, a Wilkins Kennedy partner, said: ‘As a dedicated and growing mid-tier firm, Wilkins Kennedy is delighted to announce the merger with Matthews Mist. We would like to extend a warm welcome to our new colleagues and their clients.’ Mist said the combined firm offered a wider range of expertise, which recognised the increasingly complex legal and regulatory environment.
FAST FACTS
Location: Newport, Wales Other qualifications: CAT
42
Practice
Stepping up at PwC
As PwC’s newest partners take up the challenge, UK chairman Ian Powell explains why the firm has continued to invest in its people in preparation for economic good times
This month, 46 ambitious professionals will be made partner at Britain’s biggest accountancy firm. It’s an annual ritual that stirs memories for the firm’s chairman and senior partner Ian Powell, 57, who joined predecessor firm Price Waterhouse in 1977 as a graduate trainee and became a partner in 1991. In 2008, he was elected chairman and senior partner, just as the world was plunging into the financial crisis, the aftermath of which has seen PwC and its Big Four rivals thrust into the centre of the heated debate over tax avoidance, and into the regulatory firing line over their domination of the large company audit market. So what advice does he have for this year’s rookie partners? ‘The first thing to realise is that you haven’t changed, but other people’s perception of you might do. All of a sudden, people think that since you’re a partner, you must have additional knowledge. But, of course, you don’t.’ It’s a role you grow into, he says. ‘You don’t change overnight, but you do suddenly feel more of a responsibility for the development of your people and your team, making sure they’ve got good-quality work. And they look to you for leadership.’ Powell’s own promotion to partner, he says, was made easier because it involved moving from the firm’s Birmingham office to Manchester. ‘The people I worked with in Manchester had never known me as anything other than as a partner, so I didn’t feel as though anybody was looking at me differently.’ The most important message he has for young partners is to remember that they don’t know all the answers, and they therefore need to consult. ‘Nobody will get into difficulties at PwC for making a mistake if they have consulted widely first if they are in doubt. The depth of experience around will probably help them to deal with any issue they come across.’ programmes and offering flexible working – currently enjoyed by around 12% (10% women and 2% men) of PwC’s workforce. Powell’s own schedule is busy. He’ll be in his local coffee shop at 6.45am ‘getting on top of things’, and his first meeting is usually at 7.30am. He aims to see at least two clients a day, and two or three evenings a week are dedicated to business dinners. The father of four lives between London and his family home in the north west. Another recent development is the increase in external hires to partnership. There have been more in the past five years than probably the past 50, says Powell, resulting from strategic moves to boost new specialist
Emotional intelligence
With average partner profits at around £700,000, the firm can afford to be choosy about its new partner recruits. Powell says the firm looks for the highest technical ability, for integrity and the experience to do the job. But it also looks for a degree of emotional intelligence and awareness. It’s not just about client delivery, he says. You are also owner and management, and set the tone for the whole firm. ‘To be a partner in PwC, you have to exhibit the right behaviours for a
‘WE’VE GOT TO LIVE WITH THE ECONOMY PRETTY WELL AS IT IS, BUT BE READY FOR A VERY LONG PERIOD OF SUSTAINED GROWTH’
modern firm. At the end of the day, PwC is a people business. We don’t have any other assets than a great client list and our fabulous people.’ When he took the top job, Powell was determined not to repeat the mistakes of the early 1990s and hinder future growth by cutting back on investment – hence the firm’s strategy of continuing to promote partners through the difficult years. The UK firm, which in 2011 became the 30th member of the 30% Club of businesses aiming to bring more women onto boards, now has 128 female partners – around 15% – a 1% increase on last year. Powell says he doesn’t believe in quotas, but does in targets, and that the firm is actively intervening to increase female representation at senior levels. Strategies include mentoring areas of the business, including its growing consulting practice. He predicts more, including some as a result of acquisitions. So when does he think the good times will start to roll, and justify the firm’s strategy of investing through recession? Citing Andrew Sentance, former member of the Bank of England’s Monetary Policy Committee and now senior economic adviser to PwC, he predicts the ‘new normal’ – the current situation of slow growth – will carry on until about 2017/18. But after that the economy will start to grow more strongly. ‘So we’ve got to live with the economy pretty well as is, but be ready for a very long period of sustained growth,’ says Powell. But he is confident that PwC’s own growth – 7% for the year ended 30
43
Table talk: Ian Powell sits at artist Silas Birtwistle’s ‘A Table from the Sea’s Edge’. Made out of driftwood from four key biodiversity hotspots around the world, the installation was housed in PwC’s More London offices for four months as part of the firm’s work in supporting last year’s UN Rio+20 conference on sustainable development
44
Practice
June 2012 and 6% the year before – will outperform the wider economy. This, he says, is ‘because we’re investing for the long run and we’re investing in fast-growth economies outside the UK as well. So we’re providing a real outlet for our people into the rest of the PwC network.’ The UK leadership role also involves running the PwC network’s ‘central cluster’ of more than 90 territories across Europe, the Middle East, Africa and India. Powell spends about 40% of his time on his international role. ‘We’ve seen double-digit growth in the Middle East, good growth in central eastern Europe and we believe Africa is going to be a really big opportunity over the next decade, so we’re investing a lot there.’ What service lines does he think will see the strongest growth? He lists technology, cyber (citing a recent PwC survey that found 87% of UK small businesses have suffered cyber attacks), digital business, analytics, risk assurance and advice on financial Taking off: in 2010 PwC opened prestigious new offices at More London on London’s South Bank in a building that has been likened to Star Wars’ Millennium Falcon spaceship
The CV
Re-elected as chairman and senior partner for a further four-year term.
services regulation. He also lists forensics: ‘There has been a need for investigations around reputation risk in particular. What can you do to put things right? What systems are necessary to prevent some of these issues happening again?’
2012
In the firing line
PwC is facing its own challenges with regulation and reputation. The European Union and UK Competition Commission are threatening interventions aimed at reducing the domination of the Big Four firms in the large company audit market. PwC and its rivals are also finding themselves in the firing line, not least from the House of Commons Public Accounts Committee, in the increasingly heated debate over tax avoidance. Is PwC under siege? ‘Not really,’ he responds. ‘These issues need to be debated. If the profession is going to be relevant in the future, we have to appreciate and understand that we have not been good enough at
Elected chairman and senior partner.
2008 2006 1991
Joins PwC’s UK executive board as head of advisory business.
Becomes a partner and builds team focusing on complex turnarounds.
Joins Price Waterhouse as a graduate trainee.
1977
PULLQUOTE TO COME IN HERE MAGNAT HILLES DIA CONEMPORPORA IN PRE, TEM AUT LIQUAMETUR? UR AUT ET VENEM RERFERUM IM ALIBUS SUNT.
45
articulating what we do. In a period of austerity, people need to see the contribution made by everybody.’ The wider world, he says, does not have a strong enough understanding of what an audit is, or how tax regimes work. PwC has been active in putting its views forward on all these issues. At the time of going to press, the EU proposals on the table are for mandatory rotation of auditors every 14 years. Could PwC live with that? ‘We disagree with mandatory rotation as a matter of principle,’ says Powell. The firm feels that such a move would damage rather than improve audit quality. ‘If mandatory retendering comes in, it should be for no shorter period than the UK Financial Reporting Council has put forward,’ he adds. The FRC has suggested that companies retender their audit every 10 years.
The tips
* * *
‘Treat everybody with respect, and be interested and engaged. I think there is something important about intellectual curiosity.’ ‘I think the tone in the middle is more important than the tone at the top. The tone from the top influences the middle, but the day-to-day interaction of all of our people with the partners they work with every day is something that is really important.’ ‘I believe you should pay the right amount of tax. There are privileges to living and operating in a country, and if that’s what the tax rate is, that’s what the tax rate is. I think you have to be transparent about it.’
The basics
PwC
PwC revenue/profits before tax in year ended 30 June 2012 for UK, Channel Islands and including 21 offices in the Middle East.
£2,621M/£736M
‘Brutal’ competition
Powell adds that the disruption and cost to business of mandatory rotation is being underestimated. He also says the debate has confused choice and competition. He concedes that there might not always be enough choice in the audit market, but says competition is a different story. ‘As long as you’ve even got two people competing for a single piece of work, the competition can be brutal. And it is brutal at the moment if you look at audit fees – there is a downward pressure.’ Mandatory rotation of auditors, he says, could lead to a situation where the risks of auditing companies in an unlimited liability environment outweigh the rewards to such an extent that PwC would remove itself from some tenders. If the firm’s rivals did the same, could we face the prospect of unauditable companies? Powell responds that each firm would need to make its own assessment, but that at the end of the day, people need to be properly rewarded for the risks that they take. PwC itself is audited by Crowe Clark Whitehill. Moving on to tax avoidance, Powell says it is important to take the debate back a little bit. As long as countries use tax measures to make themselves
Number of partners/staff across UK, Channel Islands and Middle East offices.
855/17,600 40% 34
Share of FTSE 100 audit market. attractive to business, then there will always be a risk of tax arbitrage. ‘It is our job to make sure our clients understand the options available to them and the implications of those options. If one of the implications involves looking at morality, and the potential reaction of governments or consumers, then it’s our job to make them understand all of that. But ultimately it’s the clients’ job to decide what they want to do.’ From PwC’s perspective, he says the key issue is transparency. He points to the total tax contribution disclosures in PwC’s annual report, which among other things show an effective tax rate of 47% for the UK partners, which he says is exactly what you would expect it to be. It also highlights the £975m tax contribution the firm made to the UK exchequer in its last financial year. Transparency is a theme that Powell emphasised when he talked at ACCA’s International Assembly in London late
Offices in the UK.
last year. ‘When it tells it like it is, and people can understand it, then that company gets a lot more trust and value,’ he told attendees. A reputation for ‘doing the right thing’ – the title on the firm’s 2012 annual report – is one of the legacies that Powell hopes to leave the firm with at the end of his tenure in the top role in 2016. He is keen to highlight the firm’s charitable and social work, especially the Fire Station social enterprise hub near its More London offices. And, naturally, he also wants the firm to be in a leading position and viewed as the ‘iconic’ brand in the profession. A bright but challenging prospect, therefore, for those 46 new partners. Chris Quick, editor
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Practice
British Accountancy Awards 2013
ACCA and Accountancy Age have teamed up to showcase the best the practice sector has to offer. But don’t delay putting your entry together, the deadline is approaching fast
Despite the fragile nature of the country’s economy, those in public practice up and down the country have continued to provide a high-quality service to clients. And despite reputational concerns around the role of accountants in tax avoidance and audit failings, the vast majority have worked tremendously hard to keep the UK economy afloat. Many have used the uncertain conditions as an opportunity to restructure and grow – utilising technology and moving fast in burgeoning markets to expand. Now it is time to recognise the efforts of the best the practice sector has to offer. The British Accountancy Awards are the only national awards dedicated to accountants in practice, from small niche players to larger regional, national and global players. Since replacing the Accountancy Age Awards in 2011, they have proved incredibly successful and now – after two great years at Old Billingsgate – this year’s ceremony will take place in the Pavilion at the Tower of London. The awards are organised in association with ACCA and provide a great opportunity for ACCA firms across the country to be recognised for the services they provide to businesses of all sizes. In addition, ACCA is pleased to sponsor the Training Manager of the Year award, which honours the hard work that goes into supporting students through their qualification. ‘Each year the awards showcase the best the practice sector has to offer – from all corners of the UK. They provide an excellent opportunity for ACCA firms to compete against the best right across the country,’ says Sarah Hathaway, head of ACCA UK. ‘Previous ACCA winners talk enthusiastically about the benefits winning has brought to their practice, whether that is in terms of attracting new clients or providing a boost to staff morale. I really do urge practitioners in all firms – whatever their size – to consider entering.’ have complete confidence that their affairs are handled by highly qualified accountants.’ Judging the awards entries is a serious but rewarding task. Last year Accountancy Age gathered some of the UK’s most senior professionals from across business, practice and regulation as judges. Participants included Schroders FD Kevin Parry, Cosworth CFO Mark Palethorpe, Mind Candy CFO/COO Divinia Knowles and then ACCA president Dean Westcott. Kevin Reed, editor of Accountancy Age, said: ‘Last year saw a fantastic turnout from practices, big and small, across the UK. It’s great to have ACCA on board again and I’m really looking forward to hearing about the great performance of more firms.’ Individuals do not have to be ACCA members in order to enter. The awards are for the entire industry, celebrating success from across institutes and from around the country. The award categories recognise the broad range of expertise, geographic reach and unique propositions offered by the UK’s accountancy firms. Each comes with robust and demanding criteria – from areas including innovation and growth through to professionalism and measurable success. Full details are available at www.britishaccountancyawards.co.uk
Range of firms
The ceremony will highlight a plethora of winners from a range of firms up and down the country, big and small. Last year’s winners included Lamont Pridmore, Francis Clark, BDO, The Fish Partnership, KPMG, Cooper Parry and Sobell Rhodes. Helen Franklin was awarded Training Manager of the Year for her sterling work at Accounts Assist. Managing director Anita Brook says: ‘Seeing Helen recognised was a tremendous honour for our firm. It has really emphasised that our clients can
47
*HOW TO ENTER: DEADLINE 19 JULY
The British Accountancy Awards 2013 are open to all accountancy firms in the country, including non-ACCA firms. Full details of the criteria for each award and registration details can be found at www.britishaccountancyawards. co.uk. Here you can fill in the entry statement and upload any supporting documentation. This can be updated and altered at any time until you choose to submit your entry. The deadline for entries is Friday 19 July. Judging will take place in September and the shortlist announcement will follow shortly after. The awards ceremony, to be held on Wednesday 20 November at the Pavilion at the Tower of London, promises to be a spectacular industry event. You don’t have to be a finalist, or even to have entered an award, to attend. To book your table, go to www. britishaccountancyawards.co.uk
Categories Practice Excellence Awards
Global Firm National Firm Mid-Tier Firm Independent Firm, North East England Independent Firm, North West England Independent Firm, Scotland Independent Firm, Wales Independent Firm, Northern Ireland Independent Firm, Midlands Independent Firm, South West England Independent Firm, South East England Independent Firm, Greater London Independent Firm, Eastern England Independent Firm of the Year Training Provider Community Award
Winners of last year’s British Accountancy Awards included Lamont Pridmore, Francis Clark, BDO, The Fish Partnership, KPMG, Cooper Parry and Sobell Rhodes
Audit and Tax Excellence Awards
Tax Award, Global Firm Tax Award, National, Mid-tier, Independent firm Audit Award, Global Firm Audit Project, National, Mid-Tier, Independent Firm
Product Excellence Award
Software Package
Individual Excellence Awards
New Accountant Accounting Technician Training Manager of the Year Outstanding Contribution
Employer Award
Best Employer Full details can be found at www. britishaccountancyawards.co.uk
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48
Corporate
PENSION LIABILITIES SOAR
UK pension liabilities have climbed 60% in the last five years, with asset value growth failing to match the rise, says KPMG. There has been strong performance across most asset classes since 2008, but falling bond yields have driven liabilities. Lynn Pearcy, KPMG’s global head of IFRS employee benefits, warned: ‘Companies that previously used options under either International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) or UK GAAP to not fully reflect pension deficits on balance sheet are now having to accept the new reality. 2013 will see full recognition in IFRS accounts, with the implementation of a revised IAS 19, and by 2015 groups will also need to record pension deficits in parent or subsidiary individual accounts under the new UK GAAP , which may affect reserves or, at the extreme, the flow of dividends.’
The view from:
Pensions: Kevin Fleming FCCA, assistant fund accounting manager, Capita Employee Benefits
Q What does your job entail? A I am part of the scheme finances practice of CEB in Sheffield, where we manage the accounting and treasury functions for over 650 pension schemes on behalf of our clients. As an assistant manager on one of the fund accounting teams, I have my own portfolio of schemes, mentor and appraise staff, and review accounts. Q What are the opportunities and challenges of working for an award-winning organisation with more than 1,200 clients? A With the variety of different-sized schemes we have, there is always something interesting to move on to if you want to stretch yourself, or a one-off project such as the take-on of a new scheme. Our busiest time of year is the summer. Many schemes have a 31 March or 5 April year-end, so May to July means preparing the accounts and then a visit from the auditor. Q How has the ACCA Qualification benefited your career? A There is usually at least one trustee of a scheme who has a finance background, so having the qualification gives comfort to existing and potential clients. It shows you were prepared to put the time and effort into studying, and so should know what you are doing. Q CEB invests heavily in staff development. What has been your career progression so far and where would you like to see yourself in five years? A We have an in-house training department, but the training is mostly on the job. I joined the company as a fund accountant, working on progressively larger, more complicated schemes. Three years ago I was promoted to assistant manager. The department likes to promote from within, so the next step would be managing my own team.
48 Corporate The view from Kevin Fleming of Capita Employee Benefits; the UK’s export imperative 41 Practice The view from Claire Thompson of Broomfield and Alexander; becoming a partner at PwC; the British Accountancy Awards 2013 55 Public sector The view from Paddy Gray of the University of Ulster; has the government got its pension sums right?
NON-EXEC FINED £155K
A non-executive director has been fined £154,800 by the Financial Conduct Authority and banned from performing any role in a regulated financial services business for failing to disclose a conflict of interest. The director, Angela Burns, has asked the FCA’s upper tribunal to overturn the decision. Burns failed to notify two mutual societies where she was a director that she was seeking appointment as a nonexec at an investment manager being considered for mandates, or that she had notified the firm of the mandates. One society awarded the firm a £350m mandate and the other was considering the award of a £750m mandate.
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The future of UK exports
Britain will be more reliant on exports than ever in the painful post-recession era. To stand a chance of sustainable growth, we have to start selling more into growth markets
The government aims to double UK exports to £1 trillion a year by 2020 and get 100,000 more UK companies exporting by 2020, as part of the chancellor’s strategy of rebalancing the economy from consumer spending to overseas demand. ‘Since the Second World War our economy has essentially been driven by either consumer spending or government investment, neither of which is available at present, so growth has to come from business investment and exports,’ says Chris Gentle, head of Deloitte Insight, co-author of Deloitte’s Winning in growth markets report and member of ACCA’s Accountancy Futures Academy. However, the chancellor’s hopes for strong UK exports have been dashed. According to the Office for National Statistics (ONS), British exporters put in an overall poor performance at the start of the year. The trade deficit for goods soared to £9.4bn in February; the trade surplus for services remained at £5.8bn. At the end of February, the volume of total UK exports had fallen by 7.5% since the start of the year. The weak pound makes it cheaper to buy British goods and services, yet Britain’s trade deficit with the rest of the world had increased to £14bn at the end of the first quarter, showing we were still importing more than exporting. It could be that we do not sell enough to markets outside Europe. According to the ONS, exports to non-EU countries in 2012 overtook exports to the EU for the first time. UK exports to the eurozone fell further (by £0.1bn) in February 2013 and research from the independent think-tank Ernst & Young ITEM Club shows they are unlikely to recover before 2015. Yet HSBC’s Global Connections report predicts that the top destinations for UK goods and services will stay exactly the same throughout the coming decades; Germany and France will still be among the top three buyers of our exports in 2030. ‘It’s easy to trade with the EU when the euro is strong and because there aren’t so many barriers. When it comes to international trade, British businesses tend to look more for a quick fix than a long-term solution, but we’ve got to change this,’ says Lesley Batchelor, director general of the Institute of Export. Things are changing, but slowly. According to the ONS, UK exports to Brazil, India, China, Russia and South Africa – the so-called BRICS – have arguably the most important trend in the coming decades. Turkey, Mexico, Colombia and Vietnam are witnessing rapid urbanisation and growth in their aspiring middle classes too. This means the current failure of UK exporters to penetrate these markets must change. ‘We’re also missing a trick in Africa, as we tend to create products for first-world countries,’ says Batchelor. ‘Granted, it’s not the easiest of places to do business in, but Africa has much higher growth than even China.’ According to the Deloitte report, our exports underperform partly because the developing world has been importing heavy-manufactured goods,
‘WHEN IT COMES TO INTERNATIONAL TRADE, BRITISH BUSINESSES TEND TO LOOK MORE FOR A QUICK FIX THAN A LONG-TERM SOLUTION’
increased from £12.7bn in 2007 to £27.1bn in 2012. Exports to China alone more than trebled in this period, and exports to India increased by 83%. Yet the BRICS still account for only 5.6% of total UK exports. transport and physical assets such as equipment and machinery and the UK is not a big player in those sectors. ‘However, we are good at engineering, aerospace and automotive,’ says Batchelor. Indeed, if we maximise our existing strengths in these and in sectors such green technology and the creative industries, the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) estimates there is a potential for £30bn worth of export opportunities by 2020. The Deloitte report says Britain could become a world leader in knowledge and technology-intensive services as the demand and appetite for more sophisticated, knowledge-based goods and services in the fastest-growing economies rises. ‘One of the most rapidly growing marketplaces in the world is business-to-business services,’ says Gentle. ‘We estimate the top 500 firms may soon be spending up to £4 trillion every year on these.’
Markets and sectors
To rebalance the economy, Britain must rebalance its exports towards growth and emerging markets. Deloitte’s Winning in growth markets recommends that UK businesses focus on 20 highgrowth markets identified by UK Trade & Investment, which currently account for a third of global imports of goods and services, but only 17% of UK exports. The report estimates these markets will grow to 35% of world GDP by 2020, accounting for £10 trillion in annual imports. According to the report, the growth of the middle class across India, China and other fast-growing economies is
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Orders from the services sector are already propping up British exports. In fact, according to the British Chambers of Commerce, they rose to an all-time high last seen in 1994 in the first quarter of this year. ‘The challenge for British service businesses is to develop very tightly defined niches that will allow them to compete in local markets,’ says Gentle. ‘Retail financial services lead the way here, with the internet and mobile technology offering many niche opportunities.’ There are also big opportunities for consumer goods bearing a quality British badge. ‘Two-thirds of middleincome consumers in India and China, the biggest two markets in the world, want to buy UK goods because of our fantastic heritage. Just look at Clarks shoes and their success in selling to the Chinese,’ says Gentle.
Barriers to export
So why do we not export more? A recent survey from RSM Tenon found nearly 60% of small and mediumsized enterprises (SMEs) thought the government was failing to help them to export and more financial help could make a difference. ‘Currently SMEs can get £3,000 to support attendance at trade fairs, but the government could also consider grants to train SME businesses to be fit for purpose in a global market,’ says Neil Sevitt, head of SME at RSM Tenon. ‘The skills gap in understanding how international trade works is also
something that hampers UK exports,’ says Batchelor. According to the Deloitte report, the challenge for larger companies, and for knowledge-intensive businesses in particular, is to create an international model of partnering, alliances and customer relationships. ‘An eco system, if you like, where they use the power of their international network and the size of the organisation, while employing indigenous management who understand the context of a local operating environment, on the ground,’ says Gentle. Recent research also shows that up to 29% of London businesses view cultural and language difficulties as the most significant barrier to export success. Some larger companies, therefore, employ native speakers to assist them. Speaking of which, accountants can play a part in helping to boost exports. ‘The task of helping UK businesses to
Empty cargo containers at Tilbury, Essex. Only 17% of UK exports go to the 20 high-growth economies that will account for 35% of world GDP by 2020 export has become critical. That challenge falls to the advisory community (including accountants), banks and government. And these groups – the equivalents of Olympic coaches, sports psychologists and sponsors – must ensure businesses are fully prepared before they compete,’ said ACCA’s Andrew Leck in the wake of the London Olympics. However, to do that accountants must be fully prepared, too. ‘A lot of people think that you can learn international trade “on the job”, but it’s just too complex,’ says Batchelor, whose Institute of Export offers a range of courses and qualifications. Iwona Tokc-Wilde, journalist
*LOCAL EXPERTISE A MUST
Rosana Mirkovic, head of SME policy at ACCA and author of the report SME internationalisation in central and eastern Europe, says: ‘There are practical steps that can be taken, from helping SMEs to access networks and overseas partners to breaking down trade barriers. ‘The limitations SMEs face are universal, and range from problems accessing finance to not being informed about new opportunities. But a major barrier is often the lack of connections to networks and local partners. Identifying and accessing local partners, who understand the realities and complexities of the market, is a major challenge for SMEs seeking to expand abroad.’ The SME internationalisation report is at www.accaglobal.com/internationalisation
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Corporate
20 high-growth markets for the UK
UKTI’s 20 markets for UK businesses to target range from Mexico on one side of the globe to South Korea on the other
MEXICO Its economy is predicted to be larger than the UK’s by 2040. Mexico occupies a strategic global position, being the natural bridge between Latin America and the US and Canada. EGYPT Investment opportunities exist across a wide range of sectors within Egypt, including the likes of education and training, engineering, oil and gas, and ICT.
COLOMBIA There was a time when the country was synonymous with drug cartels, but British companies operate in sectors such as financial services, beverages and environmental services.
SOUTH AFRICA High value and infrastructure opportunities are valued at £90bn over the next four years within South Africa. These include diverse projects such as healthcare and acid mine drainage.
UAE The United Arab Emirates is the UK’s largest civil export market in the Middle East and North Africa. It is the UK’s 13th largest export of goods market, valued at around £5.1bn.
BRAZIL With a population of around 185 million, its GDP per head is greater than India or China. If a product or service is competitive in world markets, it is also likely to sell well in Brazil.
SAUDI ARABIA As the UK’s largest trading partner in the Middle East, its private sector is growing and efforts are being made to diversify the economy away from Saudi Arabia’s dependence on oil and gas.
INDIA India is the second-fastestgrowing economy, after China, and business and opportunities are growing in the emerging cities of Pune, Nagpur, Ahmedabad, Chandigarh and Jaipur.
TURKEY The Turkish economy will be the second-fastest-growing economy in the world by 2018, outstripping Italy and Spain in the next decade. Turkey is negotiating for full EU membership.
QATAR British exports to Qatar have more than doubled in the last few years. In fact, Qatar has the distinction of having one of the highest rates of GDP per capita in the world.
RUSSIA Russia is the UK’s fourthlargest export market outside the EU, China and North America. Since 2001, UK-Russia trade has been growing by an average of 21% year on year.
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CHINA The great economic success story of the past 30 years. Businesses must keep up with the speed and depth of change and development in its large and complex market space.
HONG KONG Having established itself as one of the most businessfriendly environments in the world, Hong Kong is the UK’s third-largest market in Asia, after mainland China and India.
INDONESIA The largest economy in South East Asia and the world’s fourth most populous country, Indonesia has a growing affluent middle-class numbering around 45 million.
THAILAND As the second-largest economy in South East Asia, and with a growing population of 61 million, bilateral trade in goods and services in Thailand is valued at £5bn.
VIETNAM Vietnam is an exciting and increasingly influential market, having joined the World Trade Organisation in 2007. GDP growth in the four years post-accession averaged 6.5%.
TAIWAN In 2011 UK exports of goods to Taiwan were totalling a record £1.388bn. This represented a sizeable 24% increase from 2010 and an impressive 52% increase on 2009.
SINGAPORE The UK’s largest trading partner in South East Asia, and our 12th-largest goods export market outside the EU, Singapore is ranked top by the World Bank for ‘ease of doing business’ globally.
MALAYSIA Our second-largest export market in South East Asia, after Singapore. The UK is also one of the largest investors in Malaysia, investing over £20bn in the past 30 years.
SOUTH KOREA Despite the global economic slowdown, South Korea’s economy grew by 3.6% in 2011, the fastest in the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.
DATA PAGE
Bank Base Rates
Rate 7.00% 7.25% 7.50% 7.25% 6.75% 6.25% 6.00% 5.50% 5.25% 5.00% 5.25% 5.50% 5.75% 6.00% 5.75% 5.50% 5.25% 5.00% 4.75% 4.50% 4.00% 3.75%
Figures compiled on 6 June 2013
July 2013
2011 229.0 231.3 232.5 234.4 235.2 235.2 234.7 236.1 237.9 238.0 238.5 239.4 2012 238.0 239.9 240.8 242.5 242.4 241.8 242.1 243.0 244.2 245.6 245.6 246.8 2013 245.8 247.6 248.7 249.5
Retail Prices Index
1998 159.5 160.3 160.8 162.6 163.5 163.4 163.0 163.7 164.4 164.5 164.4 164.4 1999 163.4 163.7 164.1 165.2 165.6 165.6 165.1 165.5 166.2 166.5 166.7 167.3
Date 7.8.97 6.11.97 4.6.98 8.10.98 5.11.98 10.12.98 7.1.99 4.2.99 8.4.99 10.6.99 8.9.99 4.11.99 13.1.00 10.2.00 8.2.01 5.4.01 10.5.01 2.8.01 18.9.01 4.10.01 8.11.01 6.2.03
Date 10.7.03 6.11.03 5.2.04 6.5.04 10.6.04 5.8.04 4.8.05 3.8.06 9.11.06 11.1.07 10.5.07 5.7.07 6.12.07 7.2.08 10.4.08 8.10.08 6.11.08 4.12.08 8.1.09 5.2.09 5.3.09
Rate 3.50% 3.75% 4.00% 4.25% 4.50% 4.75% 4.50% 4.75% 5.00% 5.25% 5.50% 5.75% 5.50% 5.25% 5.00% 4.50% 3.00% 2.00% 1.50% 1.00% 0.50%
January February March April May June July August September October November December
13th January 1987 = 100
2000 166.6 167.5 168.4 170.1 170.7 171.1 170.5 170.5 171.7 171.6 172.1 172.2
2001 171.1 172.0 172.2 173.1 174.2 174.4 173.3 174.0 174.6 174.3 173.6 173.4
2002 173.3 173.8 174.5 175.7 176.2 176.2 175.9 176.4 177.6 177.9 178.2 178.5
2003 178.4 179.3 179.9 181.2 181.5 181.3 181.3 181.6 182.5 182.6 182.7 183.5
2004 183.1 183.8 184.6 185.7 186.5 186.8 186.8 187.4 188.1 188.6 189.0 189.9
2005 188.9 189.6 190.5 191.6 192.0 192.2 192.2 192.6 193.1 193.3 193.6 194.1
2006 193.4 194.2 195.0 196.5 197.7 198.5 198.5 199.2 200.1 200.4 201.1 202.7
2007 201.6 203.1 204.4 205.4 206.2 207.3 206.1 207.3 208.0 208.9 209.7 210.9
2008 209.8 211.4 212.1 214.0 215.1 216.8 216.5 217.2 218.4 217.7 216.0 212.9
2009 210.1 211.4 211.3 211.5 212.8 213.4 213.4 214.4 215.3 216.0 216.6 218.0
2010 217.9 219.2 220.7 222.8 223.6 224.1 223.6 224.5 225.3 225.8 226.8 228.4
Source: ONS
% Annual Inflation
January February March April May June July August September October November December 2008 4.1% 4.1% 3.8% 4.2% 4.3% 4.6% 5.0% 4.8% 5.0% 4.2% 3.0% 0.9% 2009 0.1% 0.0% -0.4% -1.2% -1.1% -1.6% -1.4% -1.3% -1.4% -0.8% 0.3% 2.4% 2010 3.7% 3.7% 4.4% 5.3% 5.1% 5.0% 4.8% 4.7% 4.6% 4.5% 4.7% 4.8% 2011 5.1% 5.5% 5.3% 5.2% 5.2% 5.0% 5.0% 5.2% 5.6% 5.4% 5.2% 4.8% 2012 3.9% 3.7% 3.6% 3.5% 3.1% 2.8% 3.2% 2.9% 2.6% 3.2% 3.0% 3.1% 2013 3.3% 3.2% 3.3% 2.9%
% Change Average Weekly Earnings
January February March April May June July August September October November December 2009 -1.7% -5.7% -1.1% 1.7% 0.9% 1.1% 0.3% 0.3% 0.9% 0.7% 0.8% 0.7% 2010 0.6% 5.2% 6.6% 0.4% 1.1% 2.1% 1.8% 2.1% 2.3% 2.1% 2.1% 1.3% 2011 4.3% 1.0% 2.4% 2.5% 2.4% 3.4% 3.1% 2.1% 1.8% 2.1% 2.1% 2.0% 2012 0.1% 0.5% 0.9% 2.4% 1.8% 1.4% 1.6% 2.3% 1.8% 1.3% 1.3% 1.3% 2013 1.1% 0.7% -0.9%*
Source: Barclays
Mortgage Rates
Date 1.6.01 1.9.01 1.10.01 1.11.01 1.12.01 1.3.03 1.8.03 1.12.03 1.3.04 1.6.04 1.7.04 1.9.04 1.9.05 1.9.06 Rate 7.00% 6.75% 6.50% 6.25% 5.75% 5.65% 5.50% 5.75% 6.00% 6.25% 6.50% 6.75% 6.50% 6.75% Date 1.12.06 1.2.07 1.6.07 1.8.07 1.1.08 1.3.08 1.5.08 1.11.08 1.12.08 1.1.09 1.2.09 1.3.09 1.4.09 4.1.11 Rate 7.00% 7.25% 7.50% 7.75% 7.50% 7.25% 7.00% 6.50% 5.00% 4.75% 4.50% 4.00% 3.50% 3.99%
Source: ONS
HM Revenue & Customs Rates
Effective Date 6.3.99 6.1.02 6.4.07 1.3.09 6.4.10
“OFFICIAL RATE”*
Whole GB economy unadjusted *Provisional
Figures include bonuses and arrears Source: ONS
*Benefits in Kind: Loans to employees earning £8,500+ - official rate of interest. Official rate for loans in foreign currencies: Yen: 3.9% w.e.f. 6.6.94; Swiss F: 5.5% w.e.f. 6.7.94 (previously 5.7% w.e.f. 6.6.94).
Rate 6.25% 5.00% 6.25% 4.75% 4.00%
Effective Date 6.12.08 6.1.09 27.1.09 24.3.09 29.9.09
INTEREST ON LATE PAID INCOME TAX, CGT, STAMP DUTY AND STAMP DUTY RESERVE
House Price Index
January February March April May June July August September October November December 2009 517.2 515.3 508.3 508.6 520.7 514.0 520.1 524.1 533.5 535.4 536.0 541.3 2010 535.7 537.2 543.1 552.7 547.6 538.5 544.8 546.6 529.6 534.9 528.4 522.7 2011 522.6 523.3 524.8 525.3 525.4 529.6 533.1 524.6 525.5 531.8 520.4 510.7 2012 514.2 514.3 528.9 521.7 523.6 528.3 526.3 518.5 519.3 517.2 521.1 524.0 2013 519.8 524.3 530.6 540.6 543.2
Rate 5.50% 4.50% 3.50% 2.50% 3.00%
Existing Borrowers - Source: Halifax
Effective Date 27.1.09 24.3.09 29.9.09
INTEREST ON UNPAID / OVERPAID INHERITANCE TAX
Rate 1.00%/1.00% 0.00%/0.00% 3.00%/0.50%
Effective Date 6.11.08 6.12.08 6.1.09 27.1.09 29.9.09
INTEREST ON OVERPAID INCOME TAX, CGT, STAMP DUTY AND STAMP DUTY RESERVE
Rate 2.25% 1.50% 0.75% 0.00% 0.50%
All Houses (January 1983 = 100)
Source: Halifax on last working day
Certificates of Tax Deposit
up to £100K £100K+ 0-1 mth £100K+ 1-3 mth £100K+ 3-6 mth £100K+ 6-9 mth £100K+ 9-12 mth w.e.f. 6.3.09 0.00% (0.00%) 0.00% (0.00%) 0.75% (0.00%) 0.75% (0.00%) 0.75% (0.00%) 0.75% (0.00%) w.e.f. 6.2.09 0.00% (0.00%) 0.00% (0.00%) 1.00% (0.50%) 1.00% (0.50%) 1.00% (0.50%) 0.75% (0.25%) w.e.f. 9.1.09 0.00% (0.00%) 0.00% (0.00%) 1.50% (0.75%) 1.25% (0.50%) 1.25% (0.50%) 1.25% (0.50%)
Exchange Rates
2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 YEN 233 198 142 142 133 132 143
Encashment rates shown in brackets. Above rates are paid gross but are liable to tax.
Late Payment of Commercial Debts
From 1.7.11 1.1.12 To 31.12.11 30.6.12 Rate 8.50% 8.50% From 1.7.12 1.1.13 To 31.12.12 30.6.13 Rate 8.50% 8.50%
MARCH US$ SFr 1.97 2.39 1.99 1.97 1.43 1.63 1.52 1.60 1.60 1.47 1.60 1.44 1.52 1.44
€ 1.47 1.25 1.08 1.12 1.13 1.20 1.18
2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012
DECEMBER YEN US$ SFr 222 1.99 2.25 130 1.44 1.53 150 1.61 1.67 127 1.57 1.46 120 1.55 1.45 139 1.62 1.48
€ 1.36 1.04 1.13 1.17 1.20 1.23
Income Support Mortgage Rate
Effective Date Rate Effective Date Rate Effective Date Rate
The Late Payment of Commercial Debts (Interest) Act 1998 For contracts from 1.11.98 to 6.8.02 the rate applying is the Bank of England Base Rate that was in place on the day the debt came overdue plus 8%.
17.12.06 18.2.07 17.6.07
6.58% 6.83% 7.08%
12.8.07 13.1.08 16.3.08
7.33% 7.08% 6.83%
18.5.08 16.11.08 1.10.10
6.58% 6.08% 3.63%
LIBOR
January February March April May June July August September October November December
2010 0.62% 0.64% 0.65% 0.68% 0.71% 0.73% 0.75% 0.73% 0.74% 0.74% 0.74% 0.76% 2011 0.77% 0.80% 0.82% 0.82% 0.83% 0.83% 0.83% 0.89% 0.95% 0.99% 1.04% 1.08% 2012 1.08% 1.06% 1.03% 1.01% 0.99% 0.90% 0.74% 0.68% 0.60% 0.53% 0.52% 0.52% 2013 0.51% 0.51% 0.51% 0.50% 0.51%
The Late Payment of Commercial Debts (Interest) Regulations 2002 For contracts from 7.8.02 the rate is set for a six month period by taking the Bank of England Base Rate on 30 June and 31 December and adding 8%.
From 1.10.10 the standard interest rate will be the BoE published monthly avge mortgage interest rate. Can claim mortgage interest on, up to £200,000 of the motgage. Waiting period 13 weeks.
Courts ENGLISH COURTS
Judgment Debts: High Court (& w.e.f. 1.7.91 County Courts) 8% w.e.f. Decrees: Court of Session & Sheriff Courts 8% w.e.f. 1.4.93 (previously 15% w.e.f. 16.8.85). 1.4.93 (previously 15% w.e.f. 16.4.85). Funds in Court: Special Rate (persons under disability) 0.5% w.e.f. NORTHERN IRISH COURTS 1.7.09 (previously 1.5% w.e.f. 1.6.09). Basic Rate (payment into court) Judgment Debts: High Court: 8% w.e.f. 19.4.93 (previously 15% w.e.f. 0.3% w.e.f. 1.7.09 (previously 1% w.e.f. 1.6.09). 2.9.85). County Court 8% w.e.f. 19.4.93 (previously 15% w.e.f. 19.5.85). Interest in Personal Injury cases: Future Earnings - none. Pain & Interest on amounts awarded in Magistrate Courts 7% w.e.f. 3.9.84. Suffering - 2%. Special Damages: same as “Special Rate” - see Funds in Court above (½ Special Rate payable from date of accident to date ADMINISTRATION OF ESTATES of judgment). England & Wales: Interest on General Legacies: 0.3% w.e.f. 1.7.09 Interest Rate on Confiscation Orders in Crown & Magistrates Courts: (previously 1% 1.6.09). Interest on Statutory Legacies: 6% w.e.f. 1.10.83 (previously 7% w.e.f. 15.9.77). same rate as applies to High Court Judgment Debts.
SCOTTISH COURTS
3 MONTH INTERBANK - closing rate on last day of month
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Public sector
55
LONDON ‘NEEDS TAX POWERS’
A report from the London Finance Commission has called for London to be given greater tax-raising powers so that it can promote its economy more effectively. The existing government grant-funded models for infrastructure improvement are inadequate to cope with projected demand, warned the commission, which fears lack of investment will constrain growth in the capital. The report proposes devolving all property taxes to the city and giving the mayor the authority to introduce additional small taxes. The same approach is recommended for all major UK cities. Professor Tony Travers, chairman of the commission, said: ‘London needs greater financial autonomy to drive growth and deliver better infrastructure. Wales and in particular Scotland are moving towards far greater discretion over taxes. London should be treated similarly.’
The view from:
Housing: Paddy Gray, professor of housing at the University of Ulster and past president of the Chartered Institute of Housing
Q Social housing policy is near the top of the political agenda. Do you welcome that? A Absolutely! Building more social housing would have a major impact on jobs and housing at a time of high social housing waiting lists. Q How will the benefit reforms affect social housing providers? A Most providers depend on rents. In the past those rents were paid direct to them. Now it is proposed to pay housing benefit to tenants; this will lead to difficulty for providers with lenders, because there will be less certainty of income. Many tenants will also have to relocate to smaller homes; in many places those homes are not there. In Northern Ireland, for example, most of our housing stock is large, so the homes are not there for people to downsize. Q Do you welcome the interest from institutional investors in the sector? A It would help raise standards in the private sector and bring investment. Housing associations are moving into the private sector, with some buying private providers. The line is blurring between private and social housing; it’s now the rented sector. Q What do you do in your quiet time to not think about housing policy? A I think about housing policy all the time! I was tweeting this morning at 5am.
55 Public sector The view from Paddy Gray of the University of Ulster; pensions in peril? 41 Practice The view from Claire Thompson of Broomfield and Alexander; becoming a partner at PwC; the British Accountancy Awards 2013 48 Corporate The view from Kevin Fleming of CEB; the UK’s export imperative
London mayor Boris Johnson
AUDIT ‘AMBER-FLAG’ WARNING
The abolition of the Audit Commission and the introduction of enterprise zones have been given amber-flag warnings in the annual report of the Major Projects Authority. Royal assent is not yet in place to enable the commission to be abolished on schedule in April 2015. But redundancy costs have been below projections as a result of successful staff transfer arrangements to the private sector. Enterprise zones have warned that their goals are difficult to achieve in current market conditions, making it harder to attract finance to improve local infrastructure.
FAST FACTS
New homes built in England in 2011: 109,020 And in 1968: 362,540 New housing association homes built in England in 2011: 24,530 (one in four) And in 1968: 5,540 (one in 65)
56
Public sector
Pensions in peril
As the Public Service Pensions Act 2013 comes into force, the financial outlook for many employees appears bleak, as questions are raised over current deficit calculations
In April last year The TaxPayers’ Alliance flagged up what it described as ‘the enormous black hole in the Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS) – a gaping pensions deficit of £54bn [in 2010–11] for which taxpayers are ultimately liable’. The sum may have been sizeable, but it was a significant reduction on the previous year – £91bn – and only slightly higher than the 2008–09 figure of £51bn. Furthermore, a pending crisis in pensions was hardly red-hot news. As Richard Harbord FCCA, chief executive of Boston Borough Council, told delegates at a recent ACCA event on the subject, the increasing lifespan of the UK population meant that ‘tricky times’ inevitably lay ahead. ‘Calculations for the original pension schemes simply didn’t allow for people living longer,’ he said. ‘Nor did they take into account that many would be ill longer towards the end of their lives and that the costs to the state of looking after them would be so immense. There’s a significant burden ahead in the next 30 or 40 years in meeting the needs of our ever-aging population. The state pension scheme just won’t cover the costs; there is a genuine crisis here. ‘Deficits in public sector pensions have additional causes. In the past, for example, early retirements caused a colossal strain on the pay-as-you-go funds. As a result, these have been largely removed from the local government agenda. No one wants the publicity that big pay-offs bring! But perhaps the biggest single issue was the loss to pension schemes resulting from Gordon Brown’s removal of tax credits on share dividends in 1997. The impact of this was massive.’ Pensions are an emotive and controversial subject, and the government’s attempts to address the problem have met with strong resistance. In 2010, chancellor George Osborne invited John Hutton to chair the independent Public Service Pensions Commission and undertake a fundamental structural review of public service pension provision. His recommendations for reform, which the government says are designed to stop the cost of public sector pensions soaring to unsustainable levels by bringing them into line with private sector deals, were accepted. Unions argue that they will force public sector employees to work longer, pay more and receive less in retirement. But despite the strikes that the intended reforms have sparked, the Public Service Pensions Bill received Royal Assent in April.
‘Gold-plated’ pensions?
Critics of public sector pensions are prone to cast them in a highly favourable light – creating an image of the retired living in the lap of luxury during their silver years. But are they really excessive? The GMB puts the average local government pension at £3,800 per annum, while the National Association of Pension Funds figures are £4,500 for the LGPS, £7,800 for the overall public sector, and £7,300 in the private sector. So were these pensions really ‘gold plated’? Harbord didn’t think so. ‘Although there is undoubtedly quite a large body of people who earn a reasonable salary in the public sector, there are also large numbers of quite poorly paid individuals, which brings the average down,’ he told his ACCA audience. There are 54 public sector pension schemes in total and every metropolitan, unitary and county has its own fund. The schemes are broadly divided into three types: funded, pay as you go, and notionally funded. Employers’ contributions vary slightly: the LGPS averages 18.4%, the Civil Service 19% and teachers 14.1%. For 35 years or so, employees’ contributions stayed at 6% but there is currently a sliding scale of 5.5% for the lower paid, rising to 7.5% for the upper echelons. Some pension experts, including Harbord, argue that an earlier rise might have been accepted by public sector employees and helped keep funds healthier.
*PUBLIC SERVICE PENSIONS ACT 2013
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The provisions of the act include: Enabling the creation of new career average public service pension schemes to replace the largest existing final-salary schemes. Linking normal pension ages to state pension age to manage longevity risk (except for firefighters, police and the armed forces). Introducing an employer cost cap to ensure unforeseen changes in cost are controlled to protect the taxpayer. Setting out requirements for scheme governance, regulation and administration to deliver transparency and accountability. Allowing for the provision of transitional arrangements and protections, where necessary. People who were within 10 years of retirement age on 1 April 2012 will not see any change in when they can retire or in the pension they receive.
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Pension panic: unions fear that public service pension reform will force public sector employees to work for longer and pay more, yet receive less when they retire
‘PENSIONS ARE LONG TERM, YET CONCLUSIONS ARE BASED ON SHORT-TERM ASSUMPTIONS. TWOTHIRDS OF FUNDS ARE INVESTED IN EQUITIES’
Future strategy
Today’s investments vary enormously; the London boroughs’ range from £400m to £1bn, while Birmingham’s stands at around £3bn. Each fund is run separately by its own investment panel (comprising five or six elected members); an investment adviser; investment strategy and investment managers. The duty of the investment managers is to secure the best returns possible and there is considerable competition among local authorities to achieve this. However, investment fees are high and it has been suggested that merging the funds into one ‘bundle’ might be a way of saving money. Objections to this include potentially losing the funds’ democratic links to their own members and the destabilising effect that a sudden investment of £700bn in the market might bring. As the Public Service Pensions Act becomes reality, Harbord questions whether current deficit calculations are right. ‘Valuations are an inexact science,’ he said. ‘How do we know they are right? Have they really been
forensically examined? ‘Pensions are a long-term game, yet our conclusions are based on shortterm assumptions. Two-thirds of funds are invested in equities. There would be a staggering difference in their value if there were a really good year in the stock market. ‘Then there is the importance of cashflow, which is quite buoyant in pension funds. As long as there is money coming in, the fund won’t collapse.’ Meanwhile, while for some a pension is a far-off concern, for those with retirement in sight it is a pressing reality. Any reforms, sooner or later, are guaranteed a very mixed reaction. Jill Wyatt, journalist
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Technical update
Glenn Collins, ACCA UK’s head of technical advisory, provides a monthly round-up of the latest developments in financial reporting, audit, tax and law
For example, question 4 asks: Do you agree that we should ask whether a charity has a written policy in the following areas? (Please answer yes/no) management * Risk * Investment vulnerable * Safeguarding beneficiaries of interest * Conflicts management * Volunteer Complaints handling * You can find more at www. accaglobal.com/uk/ members/technical seven of the previous nine years; £50,000 remittance basis charge may apply if you have been resident for 12 or more years. You can find guidance with links to flowcharts on the remittance basis at www.accaglobal.com/uk/ members/technical VAT. The notice details the additional requirements and obligations for warehousekeepers of motor and heating fuels. Further details can be found at www.accaglobal. com/uk/members/technical VAT REFUNDS If your business is impacted by the VAT treatment of refunds made by manufacturers you may wish to review the consultation highlighted below, as simple changes to your procedures may result in your being able to recover VAT. HMRC has issued a short consultation called VAT treatment of refunds made by manufacturers, open for comment until 31 August 2013. It considers the issue where a manufacturer, rather than the retailer, makes a refund to the consumer and the VAT consequences of the refund. HMRC had viewed refunds as compensation or an ex gratia goodwill payment and thus outside the scope of VAT. HMRC now accepts that in certain instances, and by following the principle set out in the case of Elida Gibbs, a manufacturer is ‘entitled to adjust its VAT to take account of refunds paid directly to final consumers under a promotion scheme’. The consultation also contains examples of what HMRC is proposing that it will not accept as refunds. These include, for example, payments that exceed in value the total consideration paid by the
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FINANCIAL REPORTING
IFRS FOR SMEs The latest update on support made available by the IFRS Foundation on IFRS for SMEs can be found at http://tinyurl.com/ ifric-smes. It includes latest translations and educational material for you to take and use. IMPAIRMENT OF ASSETS The International Accounting Standards Board has amended IAS 36, Impairment of Assets, with the amendment applying for periods beginning on or after 1 January 2014. Entities that have applied IFRS 13 may adopt the changes earlier. The amendments concern disclosure of recoverable amounts of impaired assets. You can find more at http:// tinyurl.com/ias36-amend IMPAIRMENT OF ASSETS The Charity Commission is now consulting on changes to the 2014 Annual Return and the content of the Register of Charities. The consultation lists 11 questions and has a closing date of 17 July. It highlights new areas where charities would be expected to provide additional information above what is included within the current returns.
TAX
REMITTANCE BASIS The Finance Bill sets out the tests that apply when assessing a person’s residence. For non-doms the basic rules and options are still available. They can pay tax on the ‘arising basis’ or the ‘remittance basis’. In broad terms the arising basis means the taxpayer: keeps their allowances; pays tax on worldwide income less any doubletaxation relief; is not liable to pay the £30,000 or £50,000 remittance basis charge. For the remittance basis, think of the three limits: if you have £2,000 or more of income or gains that you keep abroad you will lose your UK allowances; £30,000 remittance basis charge may apply if you have been resident in the UK for more than
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UPDATED NOTICES The following updated notices have been issued by HMRC: Notice 998 VAT refund scheme for national museums and galleries. The notice applies only to those national museums or galleries that offer free admission to the public and are eligible for refunds of VAT under the national museums and galleries VAT refund scheme. The notice has been updated for eligible museums and certain activities that they undertake. It also contains information for museums and galleries that are not listed but may wish to apply to be eligible. Notice 300 Customs civil investigation of suspected evasion. The notice applies now and replaces the October 2011 version. The title has changed with ‘the rights of the individual’ section having been updated. The notice also highlights the process used in determining the type of penalty (if any) that may apply. Notice 179 Motor & heating fuels: general information and accounting for Excise Duty &
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consumer. This is ‘out-ofpocket’ compensation to the consumer. OTHER CONSULTATIONS Other consultations that also provide useful technical reminders and highlight potential changes are: A review of two aspects of the tax rules on partnership which closes on 9 August 2013. This looks at changes in the tax rules that will take effect from April 2014 regarding: – disguising employment relationships through limited liability partnerships; and – certain arrangements involving allocation of profits and losses among partnership members. Inheritance tax: simplifying charges on trusts, which closes on 23 August and sets out options on how IHT periodic and exit charges on trusts that hold or dispose of relevant property can be simplified. National insurance and self-employed entertainers, which closes on 6 August 2013 and would come into force not earlier than 6 April 2014. It is interesting for entertainers and other self-employed groups which fall within Class 1 NICs to follow HMRC’s opinions on economic variables, definition of salary and simplification options. Find out more at www. accaglobal.com/uk/ members/technical
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Here to help: ACCA’s headquarters
*UK GAAP: HOW ACCA WILL HELP
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ACCA will provide a number of tools using different media that will be delivered throughout 2013. In particular, articles and guidance that outline the main differences with current generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP), first-time adoption and transitional arrangements are available. A comparison of the current and the new UK GAAP framework, including analysis of the potential tax impact of the new accounting requirements, the adoption timeframe, first-time adjustments and options available to different entities, will be delivered via technical factsheets aimed at members, and ACCA UK Guides To…, which are designed to be passed to clients or business colleagues to inform them about key issues and can be personalised by adding your firm’s logo and details. A full suite of factsheets and guides on the new UK GAAP will be completed by the end of July 2013. ACCA will also publish a video podcast on topical issues relating to the implementation of the new UK GAAP framework; this will be available by the end of September 2013. In addition, ACCA will publish individual model accounts for a small company voluntarily applying FRS 102 and model accounts for a company applying the FRSSE 2015, making it easy to draw a comparison between the implications of the two accounting standards in terms of recognition and disclosures for specific items. The model accounts will be available to members only and will be ready by the end of September 2013. These are likely to follow the same format as the current model accounts. The current range includes FRSSE accounts, LLP accounts, abbreviated accounts, dormant accounts and sole trader accounts, which can be requested via email quoting your name and membership number.
CPD TECHNICAL ARTICLE: The new UK GAAP Visit www.accaglobal. com/abcpd
MORE BACKGROUND: UK GAAP’s new dawn Visit www.accaglobal. com/newukgaap
* This article was published in the May edition of AB.UK
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Technical update
SEIS A useful FAQ section has been added to the Seed Enterprise Investment Scheme section of HMRC’s website. It can be found at http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/ seedeis/faq.htm. You can find a guide at www. accaglobal.com/uk/ members/technical PARTIAL EXEMPTION – EDUCATION A framework that provides guidance on partial exemption (PE) for higher education institutions (HEIs) has been made available. It is stated that it will assist in: determining a fair value for supplies of grantsupported education; determining when to add sectors to a PE method; and identifying and dealing with distorting supplies. The framework considers the areas that cause the greatest confusion, including funding grants and the capital goods scheme. The section on teaching support grants discusses grants and the Transparent Approach to Costing system (TRAC) method available, and illustrates how certain PE methods might work in practice. The section on HEIs and the Capital Goods Scheme explains the options available and provides a useful example of buildings usage. It also highlights a scenario where usage changes over time. More at www.accaglobal. com/uk/members/technical
DISCLOSURE FACILITIES Details of new and existing disclosure facilities and campaigns, including notification and disclosure timeframes, can be found at www.accaglobal.com/uk/ members/technical
LAW
INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY BILL The Intellectual Property Bill proposes changes that help clarify the protection that is available to owners of intellectual property. Its aim is to ‘reduce the need for costly litigation’ and ‘provide greater certainty for investors in new designs and technologies’. The key elements contained in the bill include: new powers to enable the
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UK to implement the Unified Patent Court Agreement; the introduction of criminal penalties for copying UK-registered designs and the strengthening of design protection; proposals for a designs opinion service and an expanded patents opinions service. The Unified Patent Court will allow business to enforce or defend patent infringement and rights in one court rather than defending their case in each European country. It is expected that the court will be running from 2015. The introduction of criminal penalties for copying UK-registered designs and the
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strengthening of design protection brings this area of intellectual property into line with the existing penalties for copyright and trademark disputes. The designs opinion service and an expanded patents opinions service will enable businesses to ask the Intellectual Property Office to ‘provide an expert opinion on whether a UK design or patent is valid or being infringed’. It’s designed to help businesses assess cases and information needs. You can follow the progress of the bill at http://tinyurl.com/ip-bill Find out more about IP in the next issue of Accounting and Business.
*UK GAAP: STATUS OF IFRIC INTERPRETATIONS
Title IFRIC 2 IFRIC 6 IFRIC 8 IFRIC 9 IFRIC 11 IFRIC 16 IFRIC 19 Members’ Shares in Co-operative Entities and Similar Instruments Liabilities arising from Participating in a Specific Market – Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Scope of IFRS 2 Reassessment of Embedded Derivatives IFRS 2 – Group and Treasury Share Transactions Hedges of a Net Investment in a Foreign Operation Extinguishing Financial Liabilities with Equity Instruments
The Financial Reporting Council has issued a useful table that sets out which IFRICs – from the IFRS Interpretations Committee – have been adopted into UK generally accepted accounting principles, and also those which have not. Those adopted are: UK Abstract no 39 45 41 42 44 46 47
A full list including those that have not been adopted is at http://tinyurl.com/ifric
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SELLING IN CHINA The Intellectual Property Office publishes a monthly update, IP Insight. An article published in the May 2013 issue, ‘Of micro blogs and macro markets: an introduction to social media marketing for European SMEs in China,’ discussed the Chinese equivalents of YouTube, Skype, eBay and social media platforms. It also highlighted advice available from the EU SME Centre, including webinars and reports on selling in China. The IPO update can be found at http://tinyurl.com/ ip-insight and contains links to the EU SME Centre information. The EU SME Centre report on selling online in China can be found at http://tinyurl.com/ selling-online-china CONFLICT OF INTEREST A recent case reported and commented on by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) highlights the duty of non-executive directors (NEDs) to avoid conflicts of interest. The FCA stated that ‘the position of NEDs is critical to the effective functioning of a board and to maintaining the confidence of customers. Because of the nature of their role, NEDs are more likely to have a portfolio of appointments and are likely to find themselves having to manage conflicts of interest more frequently than their fellow directors. NEDs need to manage
*CHARITY SORP
The exposure draft of the charities statement of recommended practice (SORP) is due to be released for public consultation this month following its approval by the Accounting Council at its May meeting. The charities SORP is developed jointly by the Charity Commission of England and Wales and the Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator. The draft SORP provides application guidance to the charity sector in following the new FRS 102, The Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland, and the Financial Reporting Standard for Smaller Entities (FRSSE). The consultation will last four months; more information and links are on the SORP pages on the regulators’ websites. You can also find out why it is not possible for charities to adopt FRS102 early, including why it’s not possible to prepare accounts under FRS102 and the current SORP; visit www.accaglobal.com/uk/members/technical In the next issue of Accounting and Business you will find a CPD article on the SORP and details of other educational material, including ACCA’s charity conference.
scrupulously their conflicts of interest and to observe basic corporate governance principles.’ You can find more about the case and guidance on directors’ duties under the Companies Act 2006 at http://uk.accaglobal.com/ uk/members/technical/ advice_support/law_ regulation/ DATA PROTECTION In the June issue of Accounting and Business the Information Commissioner’s report, Bring your own device, was highlighted. The report notes that the increasing use by employees of their own devices at work raises a number of data protection concerns. Data protection
policies and procedures need to be put in place. The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) has powers that it can exert for breaches of the Data Protection Act and the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations. These include: the power to issue monetary penalty notices of up to £500,000 for serious breaches; the power to investigate complaints and the right to issue a decision notice on whether a public authority has complied with the Freedom of Information Act or the Environmental Information Regulations; the right to issue an undertaking committing
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an organisation to a particular course of action in order to improve its compliance; the power to issue enforcement notices and ‘stop now’ orders to organisations in breach of the legislation; criminal prosecutions under the legislation. You can find details of ICO enforcement activities at http://www.ico.org.uk/ enforcement You can find guidance on data protection at http:// www2.accaglobal.com/pubs/ members/publications/ technical_factsheets/ downloads/176.pdf and http://uk.accaglobal.com/ pubs/uk/members/ publications/guides/lawreg/ data_protection.doc
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Technical update
TRUSTEE DUTIES The Charity Commission has issued guidance to trustees on how it will approach recovery of funds from them. The guidance highlights and provides additional support to trustees informing them of its views on five key areas/ statements: 1. The commission takes very seriously cases where property is lost to the charity as a result of serious wrongdoing by charity trustees or others involved with a charity. 2. Serious wrongdoing by charity trustees and others. 3. It is primarily the responsibility of the trustees to recover the property lost to the charity. 4. Where the trustees are unable or unwilling to do so, and the amount involved is significant and the breach of trust is sufficiently serious, the commission will not hesitate to use its powers of intervention and remedy to secure the recovery of lost funds. 5. In appropriate cases and exceptionally, the commission will consider bringing legal proceedings in the public interest with the Attorney General’s consent to recover funds lost to charity. Throughout the guidance it is highlighted that the Charity Commission policy is for ‘restitution and the recovery of charitable funds misappropriated or lost to charity in breach of trust’ and that ‘most trustees are
volunteers and unremunerated for their work. Consequently they will not normally be held responsible for honest actions reasonably undertaken even if mistaken.’ But the commission also warns that a higher bar exists for ‘remunerated trustees and those possessed of special skills and expertise’. You can find links to the article and previous guidance for trustees at www. accaglobal.com/uk/ members/technical REFERRAL FEES The Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012 prohibits payment for referrals in personal injury cases. It’s effective from 1 April and has caused confusion over what is and isn’t allowed. When considering and advising solicitors on tax relief or operation of client accounts or when considering other reporting obligations, reference to the Solicitors Regulation Authority’s (SRA) own guidance would also be appropriate. The SRA has made resources available at www. sra.org.uk
The trade credit pilot is open to small businesses that do not meet the current criteria for trade credit. It operates by the government providing a guarantee to partly underwrite the credit granted by Kingfisher so that Kingfisher will incur losses of 25% of each facility that defaults. It provides trade credit in the following amounts: up to £3,000 to new customers who would otherwise be denied access to a trade credit account; up to £25,000 to new customers who would otherwise have been subject to a £3,000 limit; and up to £50,000 to existing customers who are seeking a higher limit than would otherwise be available according to existing criteria. Supply chain finance operates whereby an SME
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agrees terms with a larger company that it supplies and obtains finance from an intermediary such as a bank. This is built around a non-recourse transfer. A large business may wish to extend its term from, say, 60 to 90 days and will team up with an intermediary to offer the SME supply chain finance. The outcome could be that the large company transfers the liability to the intermediary after 30 days. The SME receives payment after 30 days from the intermediary but will pay for credit for the period between 30 and 90 days. Because of the non-recourse element the intermediary will base the credit charge on the large company’s borrowing costs. At 90 days the large company settles its liability with the intermediary. You can find more about finance options at www. accaglobal.com/uk/ members/technical
*BUSINESS GROWTH
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FINANCE
TRADE CREDIT Two trade credit schemes being pushed as ideas to support SME funding are the government-backed trade credit pilot with Kingfisher and the Breedon report recomendation on supply chain finance.
At this year’s Accountex event, held at ExCeL London last month, attendees were able to hear about: Growing business through export from Lesley Batchelor and Mike Josypenko, Institute of Export; Matt Dabbs, Barclays Bank; Atul Bhakta, One World Express; Victoria Martin, UK Export Finance; and Robert Hurley, UKTI Alternative finance options for growth from Andy Davies, Prospect; Rebecca McNeil, Barclays; and Anita Brook, Accounts Assist Leadership and mentoring: skills for growth from Jeremy Jacobs, United Synagogue and Arend Welmers, Organisation Analytics You can find articles from the speakers at www. accaglobal.com/uk/members/technical. For example, Atul Bhakta, managing director of One World Express, explains how his business has benefited from e-commerce and has developed its B2C (business-to-consumer) and 3PL (third-party logistics) strategy.
CPD
units on the web
Technical
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Evaluating performance
In his second article exploring the world of management theories, Dr Tony Grundy considers seven models for assessing corporate performance
This second article in a five-part series about management theories explores several that deal with corporate performance. They include: economic value added (EVA); balanced scorecard (BSC); customer focus; corporate governance and stakeholder analysis; benchmarking; risk management; performance driver analysis. conventional accounting profit. EVA is more strictly scientific than accounting as it is based on economic models but it does demand quite a bit of education to implement. An implicit assumption of EVA is that all value within a business can be captured in financial terms. I would support much of that assumption as I think – as my own research demonstrated many moons ago – that much more value can be captured financially than is normally thought. However, although most ‘intangibles’ do have some tangible grounding, that tangibility is harder to assess in some special cases (eg where the possible payoff is high but the probability of that payoff is very low). BSC is that of competitive benchmarking – for example, relative market share – which is also a good one for a business to have. Kaplan and Norton set the fourth area of controls as people – in particular, employee morale. I have mixed views on this. It does give a sense of balance, but once upon a time I did an MSc in organisational development and apparently there is no correlation between happy staff and superior performance – maybe because some stretched organisations where people were more stressed and less happy also had superior performance. Another concern is that many organisations, indeed perhaps most, in reality seem not to care so much about their people, so while it is terribly nice to include this metric, it may also be less than realistic. Personally I tend to substitute this rather flaky area with something like ‘development’, both internal and external. So my BSC would incorporate five elements: customer satisfaction, competitive positioning, operational efficiency, development and financial. To avoid organisational overload, none of these should be broken down into more than five sub-elements. One of the key reasons that many if not most BSC interventions fail is overcomplexity.
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Economic value added
EVA has been covered very thoroughly in five articles in Accounting and Business over the past year, so I will be brief here: EVA is a cashflow-based metric and not accounting-based. These cashflows are discounted by the cost of capital. Much of the value lies in the ongoing cashflows at the end of the forecast period – what is known as the ‘terminal value’. The assumptions are generated from the generic strategic value drivers, such as sales growth rate (SGR), and also from the more specific and context-dependent value and cost drivers. These assumptions must be competitively realistic and robust. EVA is useful not only for mergers and acquisitions work and business valuations, but also for performance management year on year; it can be used either alongside or instead of
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Balanced scorecard
The balanced scorecard takes a more eclectic approach than EVA, making use of other and non-financial criteria. The BSC stems from a sense of dissatisfaction with one-dimensional, financially based metrics such as accounting profit or EVA. Robert Kaplan and David Norton, the BSC gurus at Harvard, set out to build a framework of controls to embrace other target areas. Their first article was published in 1992 but by around 2000 had become a little passé. One obvious metric is customer satisfaction, which is always included in the BSC. Another that is invariably included is operational efficiency. One odd omission from the original
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Customer focus
Customer focus is essentially a set of processes intended to promote performance in one of the quadrants
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*MG ROVER 2000–05
BMW $3bn investment Growth GNP Performance drivers
Corporate governance and stakeholder analysis
Implicit in the BSC is the notion that there are multiple stakeholders in a business. The most obvious are the staff and then the shareholders (the land of EVA) besides the board/ management. On top of that there are the customers (in the BSC) and then government, media and society. Indeed, this has given rise to the idea that shareholder value should be reframed as stakeholder value. Stakeholder value can be defined as the value that the organisation adds or destroys for its stakeholders. In this definition, stakeholders are all those individuals and groups who either have an influence on or may be affected by the conduct of the organisation. So the angle here is that corporates have a wider responsibility than just to those within the organisation and also beyond shareholders. For accountants this colours their world as it affects much of the contact in the annual report, and also generates the need to set up committees of the board to address risk management, health and safety, and so on. Indeed, the whole area of governance has come much more to the fore since the most recent wave of business collapses associated with the credit crunch/major corporate frauds etc. Even companies with such blue-chip reputations as Shell (over-reporting of oil reserves) and BP (the Gulf of Mexico oil spill) have had their
Directors’ fees Costs wasted/ Distractions Tough competition Cost base Management
Performance brakes
of the BSC. This approach was very popular in the 1990s but, in the UK at least, seems to have got forgotten. One might be forgiven sometimes for thinking that many people in the UK don’t actually know what the word ‘service’ means. There is still a huge opportunity here for achieving real competitive edge. Think about who is actually good at it: Waitrose, certainly, but not many more. Go to the US, on the other hand, and real service is everywhere. I recently watched the very amusing film The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel. In the film an elderly English lady gives the locals in an Indian call centre some training in how to understand the customer from the customer’s perspective (in reality, call centre
workers in India are normally very good). The film’s depiction of reverse education demonstrated by a customer in order to get the call centre workers to depart from their set script is absolutely hilarious! The emphasis on customer focus seems to have died away in the UK, partly because management fashion has moved on but also because of a general perception that it is enough simply to run a few workshops on it – ‘problem fixed’. Customer focus is simply not part of the UK’s corporate culture – anyone who disagrees should follow me around shopping to see how many yellow or red cards I give for poor service (you can buy the cards from the Referees’ Association website).
TO GET THE QUESTIONS GO TO
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reputations tarnished by appearing not to fulfil their corporate responsibility. Governance is mainly a post-2000 phenomenon. I happen to teach corporate governance at Henley and what is interesting here is that governance seems less of a single theory and more a number of theories or perspectives that at some point in time got conveniently stitched together and badged as governance. While governance has got to be a behavioural topic, the theory seems remarkably short on behavioural analysis. Ultimately a relatively small number of key individuals seem to have got carried away by megalomania and greed, and the checks and balances of structures such as remuneration committees and non-executive directors proved singularly ineffective in preventing corporate disasters – really, human nature should come as no surprise to anyone.
processes, competences, mindsets and organisational methods it may be possible to replicate some of that excellence in a similar function in an entirely different industry. For example, I was flying to a water utility on easyJet and used that
common to plot risks in terms of the following two variables: risk (in probabilistic terms) and impact. Personally I find that most managers struggle with probability assessments and so I would use a scale from ‘low’ to ‘high’ to categorise probability. Also, I
WHAT PERFORMANCE DRIVER ANALYSIS BRINGS ACCOUNTANTS IS SOME WAY OF COMMUNICATING ECONOMICS WITHOUT USING NUMBERS
experience to apply a cost leadership model for the water utility using the easyJet approach, with possible cost savings of £10m. Benchmarking can be really helpful in order to get a quite different perspective on performance than just score keeping will give. would also use the term ‘importance’ rather than ‘impact – as the latter feels more vague to me.
Performance driver analysis
Performance driver analysis is my own contribution to the theory and nicely integrates the lot. A simplified example is shown in the MG Rover 2000–05 box opposite. It ranks the factors facilitating performance and those constraining it for Rover Group before the company went bust. Both external and internal forces should be incorporated. What this brings to the accountant is some way of communicating economics without using numbers. It is also diagnostic. Why not try it in your next management accounts? Dr Tony Grundy is an independent consultant and trainer, and lectures at Henley Business School www.tonygrundy.com
Risk management
Perhaps the newest kid on the performance management block is risk management. This can be defined as the proactive identification, qualification and prioritisation of risks, and planning how to deal with them. Ever since the credit crunch, risk management functions have blossomed, leading to many accountants getting more deeply involved in risk management either as part of their job or all of it. There are different approaches to risk management but all typically involve some prioritisation. It is very
Benchmarking
Benchmarking is a process which cuts across the BSC by seeking to identify best practice through understanding how organisations achieve superior performance. For example, one might choose an organisation that is outstanding in its research and development (eg appliance manufacturer Dyson), customer service (eg Metro Bank) or cost management (eg Ryanair, easyJet). By understanding that organisation’s
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Technical
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Lease accounting
The IASB’s new exposure draft on leases could require many companies to report larger amounts of assets and liabilities on balance sheets than at present, says Graham Holt
The International Accounting Standards Board (IASB) has recently reissued an exposure draft setting out its intended approach for the recognition and measurement of leases. A discussion paper was issued in 2009 and an exposure draft (ED) in 2010, with comments on the latter indicating that the income statement effect of the lessee model was disliked because of the ‘front-loading’ to profit or loss. This is caused by the combination of a decreasing interest charge over time as the lease liability is repaid and the straight-line amortisation of the right-of-use asset. The new ED includes proposals to mitigate the front-loading many airlines lease their planes and show no assets or liabilities for their future commitments. Under the ED, an airline entering into a lease for an aircraft would show an asset for the ‘right to use’ the aircraft and an equal liability based on the current value of the lease payments it has promised to make. The ED would create a new, converged approach to lease accounting that would remove the old distinction between operating and finance leases. The ED will not apply to leases of intangible assets, biological assets, exploration rights, and certain service concessions. The ED has incorporated IFRIC 4, Determining whether an and would not be recognised in the balance sheet. Under the proposed standard, lessees would initially recognise a lease liability for the obligation to make lease payments and a right-of-use asset for the right to use the asset for the lease term. This concept is intended to align with the control concept in the IASB’s joint revenue recognition project. The lease liability would be the present value of the fixed lease payments less any lease incentives receivable from the lessor. The lease liability also includes any variable payments that may be linked to an index or rate and any amounts payable under residual value guarantees. For example, if the rental were to vary based on the Consumer Price Index then the initial value would be based on the current level of the index. The values of the asset and liability would be updated every year as the index changed. Variable rents based on performance or usage are excluded and are recognised in profit or loss as incurred. The right-of-use asset would be measured at cost, based on the amount of the lease liability plus lease prepayments less any lease incentives received. The right-of-use asset also includes any costs incurred that are directly related to entering into the lease. The lease liability would be measured in the same way regardless of the nature of the underlying asset. At the commencement of the lease, it should be classified as either Type A
THE IFRIC DEALS WITH CONTRACTS THAT DO NOT TAKE THE LEGAL FORM OF A LEASE, BUT CONVEYS A RIGHT TO USE AN ASSET
of profit or loss for certain types of leases. As regards lessors, comment indicated that the current model actually did create decision-useful information. The new ED would represent a major change in accounting by requiring many companies to report larger amounts of assets and liabilities on balance sheets than at present. Under current rules, many entities classify a significant number of leases as operating leases and keep them off their balance sheets. For example, arrangement contains a lease, into its guidance. The IFRIC deals with contracts that do not take the legal form of a lease, but conveys a right to use an asset. There could be a change in the guidance concerning these arrangements, especially as there is more useful guidance in the ED to supplement IFRIC 4. For example, contracts for capacity rather than use of the identified asset are not considered leases. Service contracts determined not to contain a lease would not be in the leasing standard
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Helen Brand Chief executive ACCA
or Type B. Type A leases normally mean that the underlying asset is not property, while Type B leases normally mean the underlying asset is property. Leases of property would be classified as Type B leases, unless either of the following conditions exists: The lease term is for the major part of the asset’s remaining economic life. The present value of the lease payments accounts for substantially all of the asset’s fair value. Leases of assets that are not property would be classified as Type A leases, unless either of the following conditions exists: The lease term is for an insignificant part of the asset’s total economic life. The present value of the lease payments is insignificant compared with the asset’s fair value. If a lease contains both property and non-property then it would be classified based on the nature of the primary asset within the lease. After initial recognition, lessees would recognise the interest expense using the effective interest method and lease payments would reduce the liability. Subsequent measurement of right-of-use assets would differ by lease type. For Type A leases, the asset would be amortised on a straight-line basis unless another systematic basis better represents the pattern of its consumption. The aggregate of interest expense on the lease liability and
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amortisation of the right-of-use asset would generally result in a front loading of the expense. In contrast, the lease payments made in a Type B lease would represent amounts paid to provide the lessor with a return on its investment in the underlying asset, ie a charge for the use of the asset. The return or charge would be expected to be relatively even over the lease term. Essentially, the lessee would recognise a single lease expense on a straightline basis. Right-of-use assets would be subject to impairment testing. A lessee will recognise the following in profit or loss: Type A leases: the unwinding of the discount on the lease liability as interest and the amortisation of the right-of-use asset. Type B leases: the lease payments will be recognised in profit or loss on a straight-line basis over the lease term and reflected in profit or loss as a single lease cost. The single lease cost will be allocated to the actual unwinding of interest on the liability and any remaining lease cost is allocated to the amortisation of the right-of-use asset. The lease term is defined as the non-cancellable period for which the lessee has contracted with the lessor. It includes periods covered by options to extend or terminate the lease where there is an economic incentive/ disincentive. Lessees and lessors could make an accounting policy election, by
Barry Cooper President ACCA
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Technical
CPD
units on the web
class of asset, to apply a method the same as the current operating lease accounting to leases with a maximum possible lease term, including any options to renew, of 12 months or less. A contract modification will result in a reassessment of lease assets and
underlying asset leased if applicable. The unwinding of interest on the lease receivable and residual asset in profit or loss over the lease term. Lease receivables and residual assets would be subject to the impairment testing. Lessors would
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THE LESSOR DOES NOT HAVE TO TAKE INTO ACCOUNT VARIABLE LEASE PAYMENTS IN THE MEASUREMENT OF THE LEASE RECEIVABLE
liabilities. The difference between the carrying amounts of assets and liabilities under the old lease and the new lease is recognised immediately in profit or loss. Right-of-use assets and lease liabilities for each type of lease would be presented separately on a gross basis; amortisation expense and interest expense for Type A leases would be presented separately on the income statement; and the periodic expense for Type B leases would be presented as a single line item of lease or rent expense. The ED sets out that for Type A leases, a lessor would initially derecognise the asset and recognise: A lease receivable for the right to receive lease payments. A residual asset representing the lessorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s right to the underlying asset being the sum of the present value of any unguaranteed residual. A profit for the portion of the show lease receivables and residual assets separately. The lessor does not have to take into account variable lease payments in the measurement of the lease receivable. However, this has to be taken account in the measurement of the residual asset. A reassessment in the expected lease payments, excluding the impact of credit risk, will be reflected immediately in profit or loss. Income from Type B leases will be recognised in profit or loss on a straight-line or other systematic basis over the lease term, similar to current operating lease accounting for lessors. The leased asset will not be derecognised or reclassified, but will be depreciated using the principles in IAS 16, Property, Plant and Equipment. There seems to be little doubt that there will be substantial opposition to the new proposal. There were dissenting votes on both the IASB and US Financial Accounting Standards
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Board (FASB), with complaints made that the new proposal went too far. There may be a delay in making the new rules effective, probably until 2017, to give companies time to comply and, in some cases, to renegotiate loan agreements that may be violated if leases are put on the balance sheet. Users of equipment leases are some of the most vocal opponents of the new EDâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s front-loaded approach. One of the main distinctions between the 2010 ED and new ED was that the prior draft would have required the same treatment for all leases, while the current version offers the dual approach that offers different treatments to reflect the underlying economics of the transaction. The original ED in 2010 proposed a single lease model based on the right of use, but this was criticised on the basis that the expense recognition pattern did not reflect the economics of the different types of leases. Hence, the introduction of the two-lease model. As this is one of the convergence projects, the FASB has issued a corresponding ED. Comments on the proposals close on 13 September 2013. Graham Holt is associate dean and head of the accounting, finance and economics department at Manchester Metropolitan University Business School
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The postgrad pages
Interested in doing an MBA, MSc or other postgraduate qualification? Our special quarterly section of Accounting and Business explores the options and the issues involved
MBAs: does age matter?
Yes, it does – not because once you’re past your 30s you’re past it as far as a master’s is concerned, but because motivations, approaches and benefits may all be different
With an ageing global population, diverse age ranges are becoming more noticeable in all professions and across all industries, and this is just as true of education as elsewhere. While mature students have always existed at universities, they are becoming more prevalent, and with a growing population of mixed ages fighting for fewer jobs, everyone, whatever their age, should think about how they can put themselves ahead of the competition. Taking an MBA is a sure-fire way to add something extra to your CV and pick up superior skills and experience. But should your age have any impact on how easy you might find an MBA course, the specific benefits you will gain from it and how you are taught by your education provider? Steve Cousins, recruitment and admissions manager at Cass Business School, says that MBA students typically fall into the late 20s to late 30s age bracket. But he adds: ‘For the MBA programmes at Cass
‘IN GENERAL, MANAGEMENT EXPERIENCE IS PARTICULARLY INFLUENTIAL IN TERMS OF MARKS GAINED IN EACH SUBJECT STUDIED’
Business School we have a minimum requirement of three years’ work experience for the FT MBA and five years’ for the Executive programmes. This means we tend to see an age range of 24 to 50-plus.’ Contrast this with Kaplan Holborn College, whose associate dean, John Howell, says the age range is predominantly the 20 to 30 age group. But both agree that experience gained over years in the workplace can make a real difference within an MBA scenario. they were real life and make sense of them quickly, in general, management experience is particularly influential on the level of success in terms of marks gained in each subject studied. ‘Management experience has such a significant impact because a student is able to link the theories and concepts they are learning in the classroom and, through reading, to real-life situations they have had active participation in or heard about first hand through their experience as managers. ‘Non-management work experience is very useful too but generally has slightly less impact on the level of marks. They are more likely to pass modules first time than students with no experience at all but their marks are round about the same when they do pass.
Linking theory to real life
‘In general, the amount of work experience can have a significant impact on MBA performance,’ says Howell. ‘Although there are exceptions where extremely academic students can work through case studies as if
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The postgrad pages
Interested in doing an MBA, MSc or other postgraduate qualification? Our special quarterly section of Accounting and Business explores the options and the issues involved
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TALENT DENIED
A leading think-tank has likened postgraduate education in the UK to ‘an exclusive golf club where only the wealthy need apply’. The think-tank, Centre Forum, has published a report (at http:// bit.ly/19FsZ11) citing high fees and limited funding as responsible for increasingly squeezing talented graduates out of postgraduate study. The current postgraduate funding scheme is ‘breathtakingly inadequate’ and needs overhaul, say the report authors. The study uses figures from the Higher Education Statistics Agency which suggest that the number of UK graduates enrolling on taught master’s degrees is falling in England, particularly among parttime students.
*HARVARD HIGH
Harvard Business School expects to enrol a record number of women on its upcoming MBA course, according to preliminary data released in June. The institution reports that women will make up 41% of this year’s incoming class, up from 40% last year. The statistics show that Harvard has been a little more selective this school year, admitting proportionally fewer applicants than last year. Applications to the school rose 3.9% to 9,315, up from 8,963 last year. The school expects to enrol 941 students this autumn, compared with 913 last year.
‘Although students can use their work experience to make a linkage with the concepts and theories considered, they can still find it hard to make higher-level decisions and provide arguments as they have not been in roles at work where they have had to do this before.’ Cousins adds: ‘Our MBAs often comment about how much they learn from their fellow students, the knowledge, experience and insights that they bring with them from their career so far. One of our lecturers recently commented that MBA education is much more about adding value to students by drawing out and making sense of their existing experiences. This perfectly highlights the importance and benefit of work experience prior to starting an MBA.’ Much as everyone is treated equally, age affects a student’s approach to a course. Howell says: ‘Young students tend to come onto the programme with greater confidence in their ability to learn as they have spent less time away from study, but have not had the amount or range of work experience that can help to reach the higher levels of application of concepts and theories to the case studies presented. External influences can often create disadvantages for younger students who become more engaged with the social side of college/university life at the expense of their study time.’ Older students, he says, are often the opposite: ‘They lack confidence in their ability to learn the theories and concepts required although they are confident in their abilities to make decisions and present arguments due to their more extensive experience in the workplace. Heavier commitments of mortgages and families can prevent mature students from being able to attend or find the time to study outside of class.’ Cousins also highlights motivational differences between younger and older students when deciding whether to embark on an MBA. He says: ‘From a younger student’s point of view it is worth considering if there is natural progression and acceleration in their
career, and therefore holding off on an MBA until they reach a plateau. ‘For a more mature student the experience from the drawing out we mentioned earlier is increased, but even with an MBA a big career change may be more difficult and the time for return on investment shorter. This of course depends on how you choose to measure your return; many students embark on an MBA for personal development and the experience, not purely for a certain financial return post-MBA.’
Sharing experiences
As well as gaining experience from the course, MBA students can share their own experiences. This, says Howell, ‘adds new dimensions to the range of situations and scenarios that the academic concepts and theories being taught can be applied to. For example, mature students will contribute to class discussions with stories of decisions they have made and the results of their decisions where younger students are more likely only to be able to look at a given case study and discuss what they would do, and debate what the possible consequences could be, not having first-hand experience themselves.’ Mature students in particular, adds Cousins, can bring a wealth of insight. ‘The successes, mistakes and context they were made in adds a richness to the learning and richness of the MBA,’ he says. Finally, irrespective of age, what benefit can finance professionals gain from an MBA? Howell says: ‘Often FDs on MBAs will be fascinated with how other subject areas overlap with their finance function knowledge and they begin to develop a more global view of their firm’s operations and how seemingly disparate parts interlink. With an emphasis on strategic decision-making, MBAs are the perfect way for FDs to deliberate and form arguments about a range of core areas of the business as a means to develop their management knowledge and ultimately gain recognition for this by completing the programme.’ Beth Holmes, journalist
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A good MBA stimulates healthy career progression
‘The global MBA allows you to use your time effectively because online learning means no restrictions on what time of the day you access the material or the discussions. This programme increased my business knowledge and skills, but the biggest gain for me was a deeper understanding of my working styles – my preferences, strengths and weaknesses. The self-awareness I gained was the most useful aspect in driving my career forward.’
Gail Clarke
finance controller – global supply chain, Smiths Medical International Ltd
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ACCA
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One useful location
E-learning through ACCA’s CPD hub, My Development, makes updating your skills convenient and affordable. Two ACCA members explain why it works for them
Convenience and affordability are two of the reasons why ACCA members choose e-learning as their preferred method for keeping their skills refreshed and relevant. ACCA’s CPD hub, My Development, brings a range of CPD learning opportunities together in one place including articles from Accounting and Business, CPD articles with multiplechoice questions, e-learning courses, face-to-face events, podcasts, webinars and qualifications. It gives you a wealth of choice in one useful location, as well as cost-effective package rates and discounts in conjunction with our partners. Two members – who work in very different sectors – explain why e-learning works for them. Kanchan Kapoor ACCA is deputy executive director and CFO of an international charity working with street children and young people in South-East Asia, Friends-International. This makes affordable learning a priority for Kapoor when she is sourcing CPD. Ed Garner FCCA, operations accountant at Tronox Australia Sands, finds that for him, convenience is key. Q What are the benefits of e-learning? KK ‘Living in Thailand, there are limited options for relevant courses which deal with issues facing the not-for-profit sector, so I am always looking for affordable e-learning options that I can fit around my busy schedule. I have limited time for my own professional development, and I am often also tasked with building capacity among local staff, so e-learning is the perfect solution. It provides an abundance of choice – you can study what you want, when you want, and in the comfort of your own home. This was certainly a key benefit for me as I needed a course I could fit around my work.’
Kanchan Kapoor EG ‘The main attraction was the convenience of being able to do a course at a time which suited me. During the working day, finding the time to attend more conventional CPD courses can be quite a challenge. Furthermore, as a contractor, I have to bear the cost of CPD myself, which only adds to the attraction of e-learning.’ Q What courses have you taken? KK ‘I completed a course in forensic accounting from accountingcpd.net; as I work in a cash economy I frequently face fraud and corruption, and my internal investigative skills are all self-taught. Although the course didn’t prove as relevant as I’d hoped, I’d still recommend it to others.’ EG ‘I opted for the webinar from Kaplan Hawksmere entitled ‘IFRS: what you really need to know’. I would recommend both the provider and this course to other ACCA members, as it contained some useful points about a topic which is growing in popularity, but at the same time becoming more complex with the introduction of new standards and the revision of existing
Ed Garner ones. As my role is directly involved with financial reporting, the course was highly relevant to me. However, I think it would be useful background information for any accounting role.’ Q What should ACCA members consider when choosing e-learning for the first time? KK ‘Do some research into the most relevant courses on offer, read some reviews, and plan ahead – find out what’s available during the year but also whether new courses are coming online soon. You could set an annual e-learning budget, and may even be able to get discounts if you buy courses in bulk for colleagues. If you receive a training allowance from your employer this could be a good way to spend it as e-learning is a great option if you have problems finding local courses, or you need to study while working.’
A final word
EG ‘Give it a go – you never know if it’s right for you unless you try!’ So what are you waiting for? – visit www.accaglobal.com/CPD today
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ACCA diary
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ACCA UK runs an exciting programme of events across the country, including showcasing high-profile speakers, useful networking events, and CPD opportunities. More at uk.accaglobal.com/uk/members/events
EMPLOYMENT-BASED MEMBERS’ NETWORKS HEALTH AND PUBLIC SECTORS
11 July, Thursday Making Integrated Reporting Work, London
17 July, Wednesday Breakfast with Andy Street, Birmingham Book at http://uk.accaglobal. com/uk/members/networks/ regional
17 July, Wednesday IFRS Adoption (part one), London 17 July, Wednesday Capital Expenditure, London 17 July, Wednesday Teams That Really Work, London 18 July, Thursday Effective Report Writing, London 18 July, Thursday IFRS Adoption (part two), London
18 July, Thursday Powerful Presentations, London 18 July, Thursday Managing and Participating in Meetings, London 19 July, Friday Improving Your Project Management, London To book any Professional Courses event, contact the team on 020 7059 5910 or email professionalcourses@ uk.accaglobal.com
PROFESSIONAL COURSES
15 June, Saturday Saturday CPD Conference Two, Aberdeen 17 July, Wednesday Creative Problem Solving, London
REGIONAL MEMBERS’ NETWORKS AND DISTRICT SOCIETIES
Please note the majority of events take place in the evening but check the website below for times and full details
*EVENTS ROUND-UP
ATTAINING SUSTAINABILITY
Sustainability experts spoke passionately and powerfully about corporate social responsibility and showcased numerous practical and simple ways in which businesses can save money at a special event for ACCA members organised by the Yorkshire Women’s Network on 16 May at the Yorkshire Sculpture Park. The key message was that if you incorporate corporate social responsibility into company strategy and consider the environment and the society you are in, your business is more likely to succeed and be sustainable in the future.
WHISTLEBLOWER’S BLUES
The man who blew the whistle on a massive corporate fraud gave an ACCA audience a sobering insight into his action at a lecture in May on ethical capitalism. After Michael Woodford took the job of president at Japanese camera giant Olympus, his career came to an abrupt end when he sounded the alarm on over $3bn of questionable transactions at the company. ‘As I walked into the room to meet the chairman and the chief compliance officer I knew there was something horribly rotten at the top,’ Woodford told his audience. Although he was subsequently named Business Person of the Year by four UK newspapers, Woodford revealed: ‘In Japan I am a controversial figure – people feel I betrayed my company.’ He went on to speak about the loneliness that had come with being a whistleblower.
Sustainability setting: Yorkshire Sculpture Park
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Proposed bye-law amendments
ACCA’s Peter Large and Nicole Ziman explain why changes are thought to be necessary
Council is considering proposing a number of amendments to bye-laws 7, 8, 10 and 11 at the Annual General Meeting on 19 September. This article explains why the changes are thought to be necessary. It is important that ACCA keeps its disciplinary bye-laws under regular review to ensure that they remain fit for purpose against a background of developments in regulatory case law and best practice. In this context, the ACCA Regulatory Board has led a wide-ranging review and has produced, in conjunction with leading counsel in the field of regulatory and disciplinary law, a number of proposed amendments. is proposed so that allegations brought under the bye-law may be successfully defended if members can prove the existence of a reasonable excuse. – and had an opportunity to challenge any adverse findings – and a member who was, for example, a witness. In the latter case, the member would be entitled to submit evidence to contradict an adverse court finding. The proposed provisions also remove an unnecessary layer of complexity regarding the status of proceedings outside the UK. In relation to criminal offences, the discreditability test would apply irrespective of where in the world the offence was committed. In relation to civil judgments, the test would be whether the court – wherever located – is of competent jurisdiction.
Obligation to report
Clarifications are proposed to bye-law 10(b). The main driver for these is to emphasise that the obligation to notify ACCA that a person may have become liable to disciplinary action includes a duty to ‘self-report’ and applies not just to members but to all individuals who have undertaken to be bound by the bye-laws.
Jurisdiction
Proposed changes to bye-law 7 seek to remove any ambiguity as to the law applicable to ACCA’s relationship with its members (see note at end of article). They confirm that English law would apply irrespective of where the member resides or where the issue arose and that disciplinary hearings shall ordinarily be convened in London with discretion to hold them elsewhere (currently, ACCA also holds its hearings in Dublin). The proposed changes also confirm that a member upon whom a disciplinary penalty has been imposed remains liable to pay the penalty after removal from the register.
Liability to disciplinary action
Currently, members are liable to disciplinary action up to five years after membership ceased, for any matters which occurred during membership. An extension beyond five years is proposed in bye-law 11 in exceptional circumstances where it is in the public interest, for example serious allegations which could cause reputational damage to ACCA or the accountancy profession. The change would bring ACCA in line with regulators in other professions. Note: References to members include students and firms Peter Large is executive director – governance, and Nicole Ziman is director – professional conduct
Court findings
Amendments are being proposed which bring greater coherence to bye-law 8 and would bring ACCA more fully into line with the practice of other regulators. Liability to disciplinary action would follow where a member has been convicted or cautioned for an offence discreditable to ACCA or the profession, or has been found in civil proceedings to have acted dishonestly. This is similar to the current position. However, an important distinction would be drawn between a member who was a party to the proceedings
Judgment debts
Bye-law 8(a)(viii) concerns failure to satisfy a judgment debt within two months without reasonable excuse. Somewhat perversely, it precludes an insufficiency of funds from constituting a ‘reasonable excuse’. ACCA does not operate such a rigid rule in practice, but examines whether members have responded professionally to situations (for example, genuine attempts to agree instalment payments). A change
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ACCA
Safeguarding benevolence
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The trustees of the Chartered Certified Accountants’ Benevolent Fund, which exists to help members and former members in need and their dependants, are mooting incorporation to boost the Fund’s credibility
some constitutional changes which we want to make to the structure of the Fund. You, as members, continue to be the focus of the Fund and we are consulting with you, as is your right, so that we keep you informed about what we propose and allow you to ask any questions. The Fund is currently set up as an unincorporated charitable organisation. In common with a number of similar unincorporated charities in the UK, we wish to incorporate. This will involve setting up a new charitable company and then transferring all the assets to it. Incorporation will reduce some of the administrative burdens on the charity and provide a fit-for-purpose legal structure for the Fund. The main advantages of incorporation are twofold: The Chartered Certified Accountants’ Benevolent Fund (the Fund) is a registered charity whose principal object is to raise and maintain funds for the purpose of assisting persons in need who are, or have been, members of ACCA or the Association of Authorised Public Accountants (AAPA), and their families and dependants, wherever they are in the world. The trustees are also empowered to assist other charitable institutions as they see fit. The principal policy adopted by the trustees to further the Fund’s objects has been, and continues to be, to make timely grants and/or loans to members and their families throughout the world, who face hardship or need at any time.
1 Limited liability
The trustees or committee members of an unincorporated body (at least those who contract with a third party, and possibly the others) have joint and several liability without limit for the debts of that body, despite the fact that all of the Fund’s trustees are volunteers and are not remunerated for their work. A limited liability structure protects the trustees from anything untoward which might happen to the charity through no fault of their own.
2 Legal personality
INCORPORATION WILL REDUCE SOME OF THE ADMINISTRATIVE BURDENS ON THE CHARITY AND PROVIDE A FIT-FOR-PURPOSE LEGAL STRUCTURE
Unfortunately surprisingly few members and even fewer of their families appear to be aware of us, although we receive a number of donations from members all over the world and we are very grateful for these. However, we want to help more members and their families, and the main way of doing this is to spread word of the Fund throughout the ACCA community. This can take place at the workplace, members’ networks, CPD events, etc. At the moment, the Fund is in the process of planning some changes which we, the trustees, believe will help to promote the Fund and bring more protection to it. The trustees take their roles very seriously and want to do what’s best for the Fund. Our main reason for this article is to notify the global membership of The trustees have reviewed the available organisational structures for charities in the UK, and have decided that the new charity should be established as a charitable company limited by guarantee. This is a very common legal structure for charities in the UK.
Incorporation
Therefore at the next annual general meeting (AGM) we will be putting a proposal to the membership to incorporate a new charitable company and to transfer all the Fund’s activities, including all assets and liabilities, to the new company. With help from our English and Scottish legal advisers we have established a new governing document, which is our Memorandum and Articles of Association (M&A).
As a company, the charity can continue indefinitely and has a legal life of its own, entirely separate from the personal and business life of its members and directors. This means that it can contract in its own name, and commence or defend legal proceedings in its own name rather than in the name of individual trustees acting in a personal capacity. A company also tends to have greater credibility with those with whom it does business. At the very least, a company is an entity with which people are accustomed to doing business. For example, a quirk of the legislation means that the Fund’s investments are currently held in the names of individual trustees on behalf of the Fund. The proposed change in legal status will allow the charitable company to own those investments in the name of the charity without the risks and complications of the trustees having ownership of them.
Consequences for members
There will be no change in how you can access the Fund or apply for any
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assistance. The new entity will have the same charitable objects and will continue with its existing activities. However, there is one fundamental change which we wish to bring to your attention. Currently, all ACCA and AAPA members, wherever they are in the world, are automatically members of the Fund. We propose that, like many other UK charities, the new company’s only members would, in future, be its elected trustees. This will allow for a much more efficient and leaner governing body, ensuring more funds are available to assist needy beneficiaries throughout the world, whether they be in Africa, the Americas, Asia, Australia and Oceania, Europe or the UK. The ‘new’ Benevolent Fund, as a charitable company limited by guarantee, is not required to hold a formal AGM. However, the trustees at their discretion may hold an informal meeting after the ACCA AGM, which would allow ACCA and AAPA members greater freedom to ask questions about the Fund’s policies and activities (questions that can be asked and suggestions that can be made at formal general meetings are very restricted) following a presentation on the Fund’s activities. ACCA and AAPA members would be invited to any such meeting by email and/or through the website.
How will this change happen?
We, the trustees, are in the process of contacting the relevant regulatory bodies in the UK to advise them of our proposals and the intention is to put this to members as a special resolution for approval at the AGM in September. However, one of the most important things is that we are consulting with you, our ACCA membership, through this article. In addition, we hope that we have made you aware of the Fund and the work we do, and that you can advise your fellow members and families of our existence. If you require any further information about the Chartered Certified Accountants’ Benevolent Fund or the proposal to incorporate, then please contact the secretary, Hugh McCash, at ACCA, 2 Central Quay, Glasgow, G3 8BW or via email at hugh.mccash@accaglobal.com With best wishes, The trustees of the Chartered Certified Accountants’ Benevolent Fund
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ACCA news
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AB on your iPad
Accounting and Business is now available in an iPad version
All editions of Accounting and Business are now available for free download on your iPad. The iPad versions of the magazine include links to websites, reports and videos mentioned in Accounting and Business articles, and are also searchable. Chris Quick, editor of Accounting and Business, said: ‘Our most recent magazine survey showed that around 30% of our readers already use tablets, with more than 20% saying they are thinking of getting one. So we are very pleased to be able to offer this service.’ Readers can download the magazines by visiting the iTunes App Store, or going to the magazine pages on ACCA’s website at www.accaglobal.com/ab Here readers can also find electronic versions of Accounting and Business that can be viewed on other tablet devices or a computer as well as an iPad. There is also an archive of previous editions, along with details of how nonmembers can subscribe to the magazine. The magazine’s CPD technical articles with associated multiple-choice questions can also be found at www.accaglobal.com/ab
Inside ACCA
80 Benevolent Fund What the Fund is and how incorporation could boost its credibility 79 Regulatory Disciplinary changes under review 78 Diary Events around the country 75 CPD Two members explain why the My Development e-learning hub works for them
ACCA, in partnership with IMA (Institute of Management Accountants), has launched a website focusing on CFOs and their needs. The move comes in response to the growing requirement among finance leaders for advice and support to help navigate the complex landscapes in which they are operating. The website, www.roleofcfo.com, is designed to support both existing and aspiring CFOs. For existing CFOs it delivers relevant research about their changing role and how to adapt to new challenges. It aims to help them acquire the skills and capabilities they need to develop individually and across their finance functions so they are recognised in the organisation as leading the growth agenda and delivering excellence through performance accounting. For aspiring CFOs the site provides a comprehensive roadmap that identifies the career and development opportunities that aspiring finance leaders can take to reach the top.
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INDONESIA OFFICE
ACCA has opened a representative office in Jakarta, Indonesia. ACCA president Barry Cooper attended a series of engagements, including a gala dinner, to mark the official launch. The office is headed up by Mulyadi Setiakusuma, who has had an extensive career in senior leadership positions in the banking and finance industry.
The countdown is under way for this year’s ACCA Engage web broadcast, which features ACCA’s chief executive Helen Brand and president Barry Cooper answering a series of questions put forward by members. ACCA Engage offers a unique opportunity to help shape the future of the organisation. We will broadcast the Q&A session at 12pm UK time (11am GMT) on 12 September. Visit www.accaglobal.com/engage to view the webcast or submit your questions in advance.
NOT ALL COMPANY CARS ARE CREATED EQUAL.
Making astute business decisions is what stands you out from the crowd. That now includes driving the Jaguar XF 2.2D Luxury. Experience its contemporary leather interior, HDD satellite navigation, DAB radio and 8-speed automatic gearbox, as standard. You can also expect improved CO2 emissions of 135g/km and up to 55.4mpg (combined). The Jaguar XF 2.2D Luxury is available from £379 per month*. Contact us today to talk to a Business Sales Specialist.
W W W.JAGUAR.CO.UK/BUSINESS 0845 366 1574
O cial Fuel economy ﬁgures for the XF Saloon in MPG (l/100km): Urban 16.7-46.3 (16.9-6.1). Extra Urban 32.8-62.8 (8.6-4.5). Combined 24.455.4 (11.6-5.1). CO2 Emissions 270-135g/km. Model shown is the Jaguar XF 2.2D 163PS Luxury priced at £32,945 with optional 20" alloy wheels.
The ﬁgures provided are as a result of o cial manufacturer’s tests in accordance with EU legislation. A vehicle’s actual fuel consumption may di er from that achieved in such tests and these ﬁgures are for comparative purposes only. *Business users only. Based on a 36 month Jaguar Contract Hire agreement on an XF 2.2 Diesel Luxury 163PS, standard speciﬁcation, metallic paint, a mileage of 10,000 miles per annum (30,000 miles in total), non-maintained. Initial payment in advance of 6 months rentals + VAT followed by 35 monthly rentals at rental shown + VAT. May be subject to further charges depending on the condition/mileage when vehicle returned. Finance subject to status. Guarantees/indemnities may be required. This promotion cannot be used together with other manufacturer’s promotions and is subject to availability at participating dealers only for new vehicles ordered by 30th June 2013, or while stocks last. Certain categories of business user may be excluded. Jaguar Contract Hire is provided by Lex AutoLease, trading as Jaguar Contract Hire, Heathside Park, Heathside Park Road, Stockport SK3 0RB. Written quotations are available on request. All details are correct at time of publication and are subject to change without notice.
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TAX HAVENS FOCUS ON THE US BRITISH EXPORTS TARGET MARKETS FLEETS THE PERFECT COMPANY CAR